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LLOYD'S MODERN 



POULTRY BOOK 



GUIDE AND DIRECTORY 



C4 ' BY' 

W. B. T.LOYD 

AfrricuHural Editor Fakm, Field and Fikeside 



CHICAGO . ^ ~ — , 

HOWARD cV WILSON PUBLISHING CO. 

18'J4 



-*- 






Copyright, 1894, 

BY 

W. B. LLOYD. 






PREFACE. 

When I was eleven years old my father gave ine a small 
flock of hens. Since then, except while in the army, and 
part of the time while away from home attending- school, I 
have been personally and financially interested in poultry. 
I have raised hens, ducks and turkeys; raised them in village 
and upon the farm, in small and in large flocks; raised them 
for the eggs they would produce, to sell as ^spring chickens, 
and to turn off in the fall. 

When in 1888 I became Agricultural Editor of the Farm, 
Field and Fireside, the Poultry Department fell to my care, 
and all sorts of questions about poultry came, have been 
coming, and still come to me. In the following pages I try 
to answer these questions. 

W. B. LLOYD. 

Glen Ellyn, III., January, 1894. 



INTRODUCTION. 

THE dictionary definition of poultry is, "Domestic fowls 
collective^ 7 ; those birds which are ordinarily kept in a 
state of domestication for their flesh, eggs or feathers, 
as the domestic hen, turkeys, guinea-fowl, geese and ducks." 

There are so many things connected with poultry, be- 
sides the birds themselves, that a book on the subject may 
naturally treat of their care, their houses and other matters 
pertaining to them. 

As this book is written to answer questions that come to 
my desk every day, the reader may consider each chapter or 
subject preceded by a question. The following are samples : 
"What are capons?" "Please describe the Redcaps." 
"Which is the best breed for layers?" "Please give descrip- 
tion of a cheap hen-house." "What will cure bumble-foot?'' 
"Where can I get Leghorn eggs?'.' "Where is the Reliable 
Incubator made?" Is there any profit in raising chickens 
on a large scale?" "What is the standard weight of a Tou- 
louse gander?" "How should poultry be dressed for the 
Boston market?" 

In answering these questions I have given my own ex- 
perience, the experience of others who have been particularly 
successful in special lines of poultry raising, or the judg- 
ment of those who have been long in the business. In the list of 
breeders and of dealers in incubators and other supplies, only 
those are named whom I believe to be reliable and worthy of 
patronage. 



CONTENTS. 

Definitions 6 

Nomenclature 12 

I. Breeds of Poultry 13 

II. Care and Feeding of Poultry 76 

• III. Dressing and Shipping Poultry .... 93 

IV. Diseases of Poultry 103 

V. Turkeys, Ducks and Geese 135 

VI. Capons and Caponizing 148 

VII. Incubators and Brooders ...... 163 

VIII. Chickens on the Farm 192 

IX. Houses and Fixtures 203 

X. Yards and Coops 232 

XI. Broilers *....-. 244 

XII. Scraps About Poultry 253 

Index 276 

DIRECTORY— Following Page 280 



DEFINITIONS. 

[For the fallowing Definitions and Nomenclature from the American Standard of 
Perfection we are indebted to the courtesy of the American Poultry Association. Ev- 
eryone who desires to know the standard of points in all recognized breeds of poultry 
ought to own a copy of the Standard of Perfection. It can be had postpaid for one 
dollar.] 

Barring. — Marks or stripes across the feather at right an- 
gles, or nearly so, to its length. 

Beard. — A bunch of feathers under the throat of some 
breeds of chickens, such as Houdans and Polish. 

Breed. — Any race of fowls having distinctive character- 
istics in common. Breed is a broader term than variety and 
may include several varieties, as the Plymouth Rock has Sin- 
gle-combed Barred, Pea-combed Barred and White as varieties 
of the breed. 

Brood. — The family of chicks belonging to a single 
mother. 

Broody. — Desiring to sit or incubate. 

Cape. — The feathers under and at the base of the hackle, 
shaped like a cape. This term is most frequently applied to 
the Light Brahma, whose cape is composed of black and white 
feathers. 

Carriage. — The attitude or "style" of a bird. 

Caruncu/ated. — Covered with small fleshy protuberances, 
as on the head and neck of a turkey-cock. 

Chick. — A newly-hatched fowl. 

Chicken. — A term indefinitely applied to any age under 
one year old. 

Clutch. — A term applied both to the batch of eggs sat 
upon by a fowl, and to the brood of chickens hatched there- 
from. 

Cock.— A male fowl over one year old. 

Cockerel. — A male fowl under one year old. 



DEFINITIONS. 7 

Comb. — The fleshy protuberance growing on the top of a 
fowl's head. The four chief varieties of comb are single, 
rose, pea and leaf; all others being modifications of and 
properly classed with them. 

Condition. — The state of the fowl as regards health and 
beauty of plumage. 

Crest. — A tuft of feathers on the head, of the same signifi- 
cance as top-knot. 

Crop. — The receptacle in which a fowl's food is stored be- 
fore passing into the gizzard for digestion. 

Cushion. — The mass of feathers over the rump of a hen, 
covering the tail — chiefly developed in Cochins. 

Dubbing. — Cutting off the comb, wattles and ear-lobes so as 
to leave the head smooth and clean. 

Duck-foot. — The carrying of the hinder toe forward. 

Ear-lobes. — The folds of bare skin hanging just below the 
ears — by many called deaf-ears. They vary in color, being 
red, white, blue and cream-colored. 

Face. — The bare skin around the eye. 

Flights. — The primary feathers of the wing used in flying, 
but tucked under the wings out of sight, when at rest. 

Fluff. — Soft, downy feathers about the thighs and covering 
the posterior part of the bird, chiefly developed in Asiatics. 

Furnished. — When a cockerel has obtained his fall tail, 
comb, hackles, etc., he is said to be furnished. 

Gills. — The same as wattles, which see. 

Hackle. — The neck plumage of both sexes. 

Hackles. — The peculiar, long, narrow feathers on the neck 
of fowls. 

Henny or Hen-feathered. — The plumage of a cock resem- 
bling that of a hen from the absence of hackles and sickle- 
feathers, and in plumage generally. 

Hock. — The joint between the thigh and shank. 

Keel. — The breast-bone, so called from its resemblance to 
the keel of a boat. 

Knock-kneed. — A term used to express an inward turning 
of the hocks by which they are brought together while the 
legs extend outward and are well spread at the feet. 

Leaf-comb. — The two-pronged, V-shaped comb, such as is 



s 



DEFINITIONS. 



seen in crested breeds, so called from the fancied resemblance 
to the open leaves of a book. 

Leg. — In a living- fowl this is the scaly part usually de- 
nominated the shank: in a dressed fowl, it refers to the joint 
above. 

Leg-feathers. — Feathers growing upon the outer sides of 
the shanks, as in Asiatics. 

Massy. — Confused or indistinct marking in the plumage. 

Nub-comb. — An irregular 
pea-comb, but lacking in the 
true triple character, the 
longitudinal depressions or 
channels being grown up. It 
approaches in character to a 
rose-comb, but is properly 
\\\classed as a pea-comb, as it is 
produced only by pea-combed 
varieties. 

Pea-comb. — A triple comb, 
resembling three small single 
pea-comb. combs joined together at base 

and rear, lower and narrower at front and rear than center, 
and distinctly divided, the largest and highest in the middle, 
each part slightly and evenly serrated, as may be seen in the 
illustration above. 

Penciling. — Small markings or stripes over a feather. 
These may run straight across, when they are frequently 
called bars, or follow the outline of the feather, taking a 
crescentic form. 

Poult. — A young turkey. 

Primaries. — The flight-feathers of the wings, hidden when 
the wing is closed, being tucked under the visible wing, com- 
posed of the secondary feathers. Usually the primaries con- 
tain the deepest color belonging to the fowl, except the tail, 
and great importance is attached to their color by breeders. 
Profile. — A direct side view or illustration of a fowl. 
Pullet. — A female fowl under one year old. 
Rooster. — A term for a cock or cockerel. 
Rose-comb. — A low, thick, solid comb, the upper surface 




DEFINITIONS. 9 

of which is usually corrugated or covered with small points. 
It usually terminates in a well-developed spike, which may 
turn upward as in the Hamburg's, remain nearly level as in 
the Rose-comb Leghorns, or turn downward as in the Wyan- 
dottes. In some varieties the spike is wholly wanting", or but 
slightly developed. 

Saddle. — The posterior part of the back, reaching to the 
tail in a cock, and answering to the cushion in a hen — cush- 
ion, however, being restricted to a very considerable develop- 
ment, as in Cochins, while ''saddle" may be applied to any 
breed. 

Secondaries. — The quill-feathers of the wings, which are 
visible when the wing is folded. 

Self-color.— A uniform tint over the feather, or a uniform 
hue to the plumage, in the latter sense being applied to all 
solid-colored varieties, such as white, black and buff. 

Shaft. — The stem or quill part of a feather. 

Shank. — The lower and scaly joint of the leg. 

Sickles. — The long, curved feathers of a cock's tail, prop- 
erly applied only to the top pair, but sometimes used for one 
or two pairs besides. 

Single Comb. — An upright comb, varying in size and depth 
of serration, rising from the beak and generally extending 
back of the head for some distance, and consisting of a single 
thin, fleshy mass. 

Spangling. — The marking produced by a large spot or 
splash on each feather, differing from that of the ground 
color. 

Spur. — The sharp defensive weapon of the cock, growing 
from the inner side of the shank. 

Squirrel-tailed. — The tail projecting over the back in 
front of a perpendicular line drawn from the roots of the 
tail. 

Stag. — A term used for a young cock, chiefly employed by 
Game fanciers. 

Station. — An ideal standard for Games, embodied in style 
and sj T mmetry. 

Strain. — A race of fowls that has been carefully bred by 



10 DEFINITIONS. 

one breeder, or his successor, for a number of years, and has 
acquired an individual character of its own. 

Surface-color. — The color of the plumage or feather 
which lies upon the surface of a fowl when in a normal posi- 
tion and condition. 

Symmetry. —Perfection of proportion; harmony of all the 
parts of a fowl, taken as a whole, and must be typical of 
the variety it represents. 

Tail -co verts.— The soft, glossy, curved feathers at the sides 
of the lower part of the tail, usually of the same color as the 
tail. 

Tail-feathers. —The straight and stiff feathers of the tail 
only; the top pair are sometimes slightly curved, but they are, 
generally, nearly if not quite straight and are contained inside 
the sickles and tail-coverts. 

Thighs. — The joints above the shanks, the same as the 
drum-sticks in dressed fowls. 

Top-knot. — The same as crest. 

Trio. — A cock or cockerel and two hens or pullets. 

Under-color — The color of plumage, not exposed when the 
fowl is in a normal condition and position, and is seen when 
the surface has been lifted. It is manifested chiefly in the 
down seen about the roots of the feathers. 

Variety. — A term used to denominate fowls possessing com- 
mon characteristics, less wide in its application than breed, 
which see. 

Venetianed. — Lapping over like the Venetian blinds used 
in houses. This term is frequently applied to the lapping of 
the tail-feathers. 

Vulture-hock. — Stiff, projecting feathers at the hock- 
joint. The feathers must be both stiff and projecting to be 
thus truly called and condemned. See illustration on opposite 
page. 

Wattles. — The red, depending structures at each side of 
the base of the beak, chiefly developed in males. 

Web. —The web of a feather is the flat or plume por- 
tion; of the feet, the flat skin between the toes; of the 
wings, the triangular skin seen where the wings are ex- 
tended. 



DEFINITIONS. 11 

Wing-bar. — A line of dark color across the middle of the 
wings, caused by the color or marking of the feathers known 
as the lower wing-coverts. 

Wing-bay. — The triangular section of the wing, below the 
win^-bar, formed by the exposed portion of the secondaries 




VULTURE-HOCK. 

when the wing is folded. Used chiefly in reference to Game 
fowls. 

Wing-bow.— The upper or shoulder part of the wing. 

Wing-butts. — The ends of the primaries, also called wing, 
points. 

Wing-coverts. — The broad feathers covering the roots of 
the secondary quills. 

Wing-fronts. — The front edge of the wing at the shoulder. 
This section of the wings is sometimes erroneously called 
wing-butts, but the latter term should be applied only to the 
ends of the primaries to avoid confusion. 



12 



NOMENCLATURE. 




NOMENCLATURE. 



1. Comb. 


12. 


Main Tail-feathers. 


2. Face. 


13. 


Wing-bow. 


3. Wattles. 


14. 


Wing-coverts, forming" wing-bar 


4. Ear-lobes. 


15. 


Secondaries. 


5. Hackle. 


16. 


Primaries or flight-feathers. 


6. Breast, 


17. 


Point of Breast Bone. 


7. Back. 


18. 


Thighs. 


8. Saddle. 


19. 


Hocks. 


9. Saddle-feathers. 


' 20. 


Shanks or Legs. 


10. Sickles. 


21. 


Spur. 


11. Tail-coverts. 


23. 


Toes or Claws. 



Lloyd's riodern Poultry Book. 

CHAPTER I. 
THE BREEDS OF POULTRY. 

Including all varieties of Games and Bantams, there are 
several hundred breeds of fowls, and to give a brief descrip- 
tion of each would alone make a book of fair size, so we shall 
be content with giving- a short account of some of the leading 
breeds, some of the newer ones and some characteristics or 
features of others. 

The poultry of this country deemed worthy of recognition 
by the American Poultry Association is divided into thirteen 
classes. Ten of these embrace the domestic fowls, while there 
is one class each for turkeys, ducks and geese. The names 
given the classes of domestic fowls are largely derived from 
the countries where the different breeds included in them had 
their origin. 

Included in these thirteen classes are thirty-three breeds 
of fowls, one of turkeys, eight of ducks and six of geese. 
These breeds are subdivided into varieties until the number 
exceeds a hundred. 

The American class of fowls includes the American Dom- 
inique, the Black, the Mottled and the White Java, the Jer- 
sey Blue, the Barred, the Pea-comb Barred, the Buff, and 
the White Plymouth Bocks, the Buff, the Golden, the Silver 
and the White Wyandottes. 

In the Asiatic class are the Light and the Dark Brahmas, 
the Black, the Buff, the Partridge and the White Cochins, 
and the Black Langshans. 

Bantams are classed as the Booted White, the Game, 
the Black, the White and the Partridge Cochin, the Malay, 
the Black and the White Japanese, the Buff Pekin (or 
Cochin), the White-crested White Polish, the Black Rose- 
combed, the White Rose-combed, the Golden Sebright, and 
the Silver Sebright. 



14 LLOYD'S MODERN POULTRY BOOK. * 

The White, [Silver Gray, and Colored Dorkings are classed 
as English, and the Mottled Houdan, the Black Crevecoeur, 
and the Black LaFleche as French. 

Among Games are the Black, the Black-breasted Red and 
the Brown-red, the Golden Duck wing, the Silver Duck wing, 
the Red Pyle, the White, and the Black Sumatra. ^There are 
the same varieties of Game Bantams as Games. 

In the Hamburg group are Black, Golden-Penciled, 
Golden-Spangled, Silver-Penciled, Silver-Spangled and White 
Hamburgs and the Redcaps. 

The Mediterranean class includes the Black, the Browo, 
the Buff, the Rose-Comb Brown, the Dominique, the White 
and the Rose-Comb White Leghorns, the Black and the White 
Minorcas, the Blue Andalusians and the Black Spanish. 

The various Polish varieties, including the Bearded 
Golden, the Bearded Silver, the Bearded White, the Buff 
Laced, the White-Crested Black, the Golden, the Silver and 
the White, are in a class by themselves. 

Besides the above groups there are the Black Russians, 
the White Silkies, the Frizzles, the Rumpless, and the White 
Sultans. 

Turkeys are distinguished as Black, Bronze, Buff, Narra- 
gansett, Slate, and White. 

In ducks there are Pekin, Aylesbury and Crested that 
are white; Cayuga and East India, black; Muscovy, colored and 
white; Call, gray and white, and the Rouen that is colored. 

Geese are classed as African, Canada, Chinese, Egyptian, 
Embden, and Toulouse. The African, Canada and Tou- 
louse are gray, the Embden white, and the Egyptian colored. 
There are both brown and white Chinese. 

UNRECOGNIZED BREEDS. 

New breeds, or new varieties of old breeds, are con- 
stantly coming forward claiming recognition. Among those 
of merit not yet recognized by the American Poultry Asso- 
ciation are the Anconas, Argonauts, Orpingtons, Sherwoods, 
Violettes and White Wonders. The Curassow, Guineas, "Pet 
Stock/' Pigeons, Pheasants and Swans are not recognized as 
poultry. 



BREEDS. 15 

PLYMOUTH ROCKS. 

About forty-five years ago one Dr. Bennett thus de- 
scribed a breed of fowls to which he gave the name 
Plymouth Rock: "I have given this name to a very 
extra breed of fowls, which I produced by crossing a Cochin- 
China cockerel with a hen that was herself a cross between 
the fawn-colored Dorking, the Great Malay, and the Wild 
Indian. Her weight is six pounds, seven ounces. The 
Plymouth Rock fowl, then, is in reality one-half Cochin- 
China, one-fourth fawn-colored Dorking, one-eighth Great 
Malay and one-eighth Wild Indian. Their plumage is rich and 
variegated, the cocks usually red and speckled and the 
pullets darkish brown. They are very fine fleshed, and early 
fit for the table. Their legs are very large, and usually blue 
or green, but occasionally yellow or white, generally having 
five toes upon each foot; some have the legs feathered but 
this is not usual." 

This "very extra breed" of fowls that bred legs yellow, 
white, blue or green, feathered or clean, five-toed or four- 
toed, was too "extra" to last long in this matter-of-fact 
world, and it is doubtful if our modern Barred Plymouth 
Rock with its beautiful dark or light steel gray dress is in any 
way very closely related or connected to its namesake of 
forty-five years ago. 

The Plymouth Rock is our pet and we can no better state 
our appreciation of it than to use the words of a noted 
breeder of the breed. He says: 

The Barred Plymouth Rock has been termed America's 
Idol. There is no other variety — the product of American 
skill in breeding — that we can put on the markets of the 
world with so much pride, and no other is received from 
our shores by foreign fanciers with such favor. The strong- 
est proof of the superiority of this breed is that it has suc- 
cessful^ stood the booms of a score of new varieties — has met 
and vanquished each one — and still lives. Other breeds 
have their booms, but the Plymouth Rock keeps on in its 
steady course, winning greater and greater popularity with 
each succeeding year. It has never had a boom in its history. 
Its favor has been won by merit, and by merit it retains what 



16 



LLOYD'S MODERN POULTRY BOOK, 




PAIR OF BARRED PLYMOUTH ROCKS 




PEN OF WHITE PLYMOUTH ROCKS— SEE PAOE 18. 



BREEDS. 17 

it has won. It is the farmer's delight, the poulterer's "stand- 
03'," and the villager's best friend, as it can be depended on 
to yield a generous supply of eggs and savory flesh. For 
meat, size, laying qualities, vigor, quick growing, and at- 
tractiveness combined there is no breed that will not suffer 
by comparison. This difficult union of qualities makes the 
Barred Plymouth Rocks continual favorites. For the market 
they are one of the best, being large, with plump bodies and 
full breast, with clean yellow legs and skin. For these rea- 
sons and many others they always command a high price. 
For table fowls they have but few equals, being sweet, juicy, 
fine-grained, tender and delicate. As layers they are con- 
sidered above the average. Many breeds stop laying during 
the winter, but the steadj^-going Plymouth Rocks bid defi- 
ance to the season, provided their house is a warm one and 
they are plentifully supplied with food convertible into eggs. 
They always mature early and are splendid foragers, fast 
growers, and compactly built. Their heavy weight and short 
wing feathers prevent them from flying high, hence they are 
easily confined. The hens are the most patient of brooders and 
the best of mothers, and so determined are they to bring 
up a family that they often adopt a stray chicken. They are 
very hardy and healthy, thriving well in any weather. In 
looks the Plymouth Rocks may not take the lead, gbut just 
here the old adage applies, "Handsome is that handsome 
does." Their plain, Quaker-like attire is a suitable every- 
day work dress, and even those farmers who have an inborn 
dislike to "fancy chickens" cannot but admit that the pure- 
bred Plymouth Rocks are far ahead of any cross for farm 
stock. 

In plumage they are a bluish gray, each feather distinctly 
penciled across, the bars of a darker color, and the more dis- 
inct the bar the better and more valuable the fowl. The 
plumage of the hen is much darker than that of the cock. 
They have straight, rather small size, single combs with five 
or six serrations, bright yellow beaks, red ear-lobes, and 
bright red wattles of medium size. The standard weight of 
the cock is nine and one-half pounds, cockerel eight, hen seven 
and one-half, and pullet six and one-half. 



18 LLOYD'S MODERN POULTRY BOOK. 

WHITE PLYMOUTH ROCKS. 

Except in plumage, the White Plymouth Rock is the 
counterpart of the Barred variety, from which it is a sport. 
As general-purpose fowls, they rank with the best. They 
have no need to be ashamed of their record as egg-producers, 
nor has their owner. They lay especially well in winter. 
Their eggs are large, of good color, and excellent quality. 
As dressed poultry they are unsurpassed. The absence of the 
dark pin-feathers, and the rich, yellow skin, covering a plump, 
meaty body, make an attractive market bird. They are 
desirable fowls for table use, the flesh being white, tender, 
and fine- flavored. They have very large frames, and are some- 
what slow in reaching maturity. The chicks are hardy, vig- 
orous, and very tenacious of life. Add to these qualities the 
fact that they are very handsome and pleasing in appearance, 
there seems little else to be desired. 

BUFF LEGHORNS. 

This variety of Leghorns is claiming the attention of 
fanciers and is gaining friends right along, though there is 
some opposition to them, as there is to every new breed or 
variety of established breeds. There are but few fanciers in 
England or America who are pushing these new beauties — 
for they are beauties. One of the largest breeders of them 
says: 

"In the Buff Leghorns we have usefulness and beauty 
combined; they are a grand table fowl and just the thing for 
the 'broiler man;' they are hardy and easily raised; mature 
very early; lay when four months old. They are wonderful 
layers, and are said to lay more eggs than any other variety 
of Leghorns by those who have tried all the varieties; lay 
a larger egg than the White or Brown; they bear confinement 
well, and are free from diseases to a great extent. Some 
find fault with them because they do not breed true. We 
claim they breed fully as true as many of the older breeds, 
such as the Golden and Silver Wyandottes and others, and 
are improving very fast in this respect. 

"The Buff Leghorn is the same in comb, lobes, color of 
legs and shape as the White or Brown, only differing in color, 



BREEDS. 19 

which is a rich, even buff throughout; they are some larger 
than the other varieties of Leghorns. Many new breeds have 
come up in the last ten years, their friends claiming them to 
be superior to the Leghorns as layers, but after trial they 
have been found wanting, and the Leghorns to-day stand pre- 
eminently above all other breeds as egg producers, and no 
fowls have as many friends as the Leghorns of the different 
varieties. 

"We have the past season stocked several farms with 
'off' colored females. The owners of these farms have here- 
tofore kept the Brown Leghorns, and have had the reputation 
of getting more eggs than any farmers of the neighborhood. 
They now report the Buff Leghorns being their best layers 
by odds. As chicks we have never seen their equal for hardi- 
ness. In quite a number of cases every egg hatched and every 
chick was raised. As fast growers they have no equals. We 
would advise all lovers of the Leghorn to give the Buff a 
trial." 

WHITE-CRESTED BLACK POLISH. 

The White-Crested Black Polish is a very stylish and or- 
namental bird, the color of the crest, and that of the rest of 
the plumage, making a most striking and beautiful contrast, 
With the exception of the white crest, the plumage is of a 
rich, glossy, greenish black; ear-lobes white, and legs dark. 
The cock will average about five and one-half pounds in 
weight, and the hens about four and one-half pounds. They 
are of a very tame disposition, like all of the Polish varieties. 
As egg producers, they are very profitable, being non-sitters, 
and most perpetual layers, even in seasons when common 
hens quit. Of medium size, plump and neat when dressed, 
with excellent flesh, they excel as a small table and market 
bird. 

They may be considered a hardy fowl, standing our 
severe winters well, and, when common sense provisions are 
made for their comfort, coming out in good condition in the 
spring. The White-Crested Black Polish are recommended 
to those who wish both a useful and ornamental fowl for 
their park or lawn, as no varietj', perhaps, is more admired 
for its attractive appearance and oddity. Among all the 



'ifl 



20 LLOYD'S MODERN POULTRY BOOK. 

varying- changes in the poultry fancy, this old variety still 
manages to hold a place. It is sometimes a matter of surprise 
that it has not been neglected and become extinct in the rush 
after newer and larger varieties. But, although in the past 
sixty years they have been quite]scarce, still some one has clung 
to them like an old love, and so kept them from being en- 
tirely blotted out. Among all the great variety of fancy 
poultry known to the fraternitjr, few, if any, can ante-date 
the Polish, and it is a strong argument in favor of in- breed- 
ing that they have existed so long, and retained all their pe- 
culiar characteristics, for in-breeding must have,, of necessity, 
been considerably practiced to have kept them from dying 
out. Long before the Cochins, Brahmas, or Leghorns were 
known among us, the White-Crested Black Polish was bred, 
and, while it was known as a layer of large, white eggs, still 
it was its glossy black plumage and its large white crest 
that proved its greatest attraction. Its origin is, I believe, 
wrapped in obscurity, and, while it has always been known 
as the Poland or Polish fowl, it is said to be a misnomer, as 
its origin can not be traced to that far-away country. 

THE ARGONAUT. 

H. S. Babcock, the originator of this breed, says: The 
Argonaut is a general-purpose fowl. In its making, this ob- 
ject was kept steadily in view, and the attempt was made to 
unite great laying and great table qualities in a union as near 
perfect as possible. These qualities are antagonistic, and 
the gaining of one means, to some extent, the loss of the 
other; but, as our American breeds prove, it is possible to 
unite very good laying and very good table qualities in one 
fowl. The Argonaut is another proof of the possibility of 
making this very desirable combination, 

The Argonaut is also an ornamental fowl, for it has a 
beautiful shape and beautiful color. The shape, while sug- 
gestive of that of the Game and the Plymouth Rock, is one 
that is peculiar to the breed, and combines solidity with 
gracefulness in more than an ordinary way. 

The color is buff — one of the richest and most practical 
colors that a fowl can possess, for its beauty is acknowledged 
by everyone, while its practical character is easily seen from 



BREEDS 21 

the following considerations: It looks well in all situations, 
when fresh and new, or even when faded; it shows soiling as 
little as any color well can; it is the color that best goes 
with yellow shanks and yellow skin, a most desirable thing 
for the American market; it is a color that dresses hand- 
somely, for the pin-feathers are very inconspicuous, there be- 
ing but one color superior to buff in this respect — white, but 
that has other objections, which puts buff in the lead. A 
color so beautiful and so useful as buff, upon a fowl of its 
solid yet graceful shape, gives it strong claims to be regarded 
as an ornamental fowl. 

The Argonaut is unique in one respect — it is the only 
buff pea- combed breed in the world; and it breeds very good 
pea-combs, too. For a practical fowl, I regard this as a valu- 
able characteristic, as it removes the comb as far as possible 
from the danger of frost. 

It may be said that, as originator of the Argonaut, I am 
a prejudiced witness. I admit that I am, but this very fact 
has kept me from praising the fowl according to what I 
think are its deserts, and this article, instead of being over- 
drawn, falls short of doing the breed justice. Of its mam r 
admirable qualities I have given but a faint hint, and upon 
its history I have been silent. 

If I did not regard it as a valuable and needed addition 
to the useful breeds in this country — valuable because it 
unites good laying with fine table qualities, and needed be- 
cause there are thousands of admirers of this color who can 
not otherwise obtain it upon a general-purpose fowl with 
clean, yellow legs — I certainly should not have spent the 
time and money in its production which I have, and I should 
not breed it, even if I had been foolish enough to produce it, 
unless I had a large faith in its permanent value to the poul- 
try stock of the country. 

WHITE COCHINS 

Are magnificent fowls, and worthy of a more general cultiva- 
tion among American farmers. Being pure white, they are 
much easier to breed true to color than a party-colored variety. 
The plumage is white; w T attles and ear-lobes brilliant red; 
comb red and single; legs well feathered to outer toe. These 



22 Lloyd's modern poultry book. 

fowls should have a shaded run in summer, or the glare of the 
sun day after day will give their plumage a yellowish appear- 
ance. They are among the hardiest of fowls, feather and 
mature extra early, and are good winter layers. Cocks weigh 
eleven pounds, hens nine pounds. 

PARTRIDGE COCHINS. 

The plumage of the Partridge Cochin is very rich and 
elegant, resembling a partridge to some extent. Their gait 
is slow but the carriage quiet and dignified. The Cochin is 
not adapted to any particular climate or section of country 
but thrives equally in Canada or Florida, on the Atlantic or 
Pacific Coast. In the winter they are good layers. They are 
very large and are a profitable cross for increasing the size, 
hardiness and early maturing of barnyard fowls, for which 
purpose they may be profitably used by farmers. They maj^ 
be confined by a low fence, three feet being ample height. 
Cochins will thrive w r ell in the smallest yards, and under 
such unfavorable circumstances as to preclude the successful 
rearing of other fancy breeds. 

BUFF COCHINS 

Are growing more popular every daj T , and deservedly so. Too 
much cannot be said about the excellence of this variety. 
There is no breed that is more thoroughbred or more admired 
by the fraternity in general. Considering them from a stand- 
point of utility, - they fill the bill as well as any of the Asiatics. 
The secret of their great popularity is because of their superi- 
ority. The American Buff Cochin Club is doing much to 
advance tbem. and the secretary of the club says he will 
have them at the head of the list before long. Uniting great 
size, hardiness, and much more than average egg production 
in the same fowl, Buff Cochins have a strong claim upon that 
class of people that desire to make money out of a few 
hens; while their majestic form and exquisite color make 
them much admired by breeders of thoroughbred fowls. 
The plumage is a clear, beautiful shade throughout, the neck, 
saddle, and tail-covers being of a darker and richer shade in 
the cock. 

The great fault which beset this breed originally (the 



BREEDS. 23 

constant appearance of dark feathers) has been overcome at 
last; by careful mating- and breeding- they have reached that 
state of perfection where the fancier has comparatively little 
trouble in breeding them to feather. Plentifully covered 
with long, soft feathers, Buff Cochins look larger than they 
really are. The abundant covering of downlike feathers 
renders them less sensitive to extreme changes during- the 
winter months, hence they are reliable egg producers during 
cold weather. The Buff Cochin is a very domestic fowl, does 
not fly high nor wander far, is a persistent and faithful sit- 
ter, is a mother that . does not weary of maternal duties, and 
is faithful to her charge. 

BLACK HAJ1BUR&S. 

All Hamburgs possess the same general characteristics; 
stylish and active in carriage, slender, rather short, blue or 
slaty-blue legs, with deep red rose-combs and close-fitting-, 
pure white ear-lobes. They require free range, and are then 
easily kept, as they are excellent foragers. They will lay 
upward of 200 eggs in a year. Their eggs are not so 
large as those of the Leghorns; yet, as long as eggs are sold 
by the dozen, this makes little material difference in supply- 
ing the market. Mr. A. Beldon says of their early maturity, he 
has found that pullets of the penciled varieties lay at five 
months; the spangled not quite so early. 

The Blacks are the largest of the Hamburgs and lay the 
largest eggs. They are also considered the most hardy. A 
great fault with many Black Hamburgs is a tendency to 
white on the face. This disqualifies pullets and cockerels. 
The face must be one rich, deep red, like the wattles, con- 
trasting strikingly with the pure white ear-lobes. 

GOLDEN POLISH. 

There are two varieties of the Golden Polish — the bearded 
and the unbearded — the former being more attractive, as the 
beard is a fitting counterpart to the beautiful crest of the 
head. Within the last few years the bearded variety has 
grown so in popularity that it will, in course of time, entirely 
supplant the non-bearded. The general color of their 
plumage is a rich golden bay, each feather marked with black, 



24 



LLOYD'S MODEEN POULTRY BOOK. 



in the form of a spangle or lacing-, the marking- increasing in 
size with the size of the feather. Like all spangled or pen- 
ciled fowls, the marking of this variety is very beautiful. 
Their characteristics are like all other Polish. They are quite 
docile in dispositson, and fond of being petted. The hens 




GOLDEN POLISH COCK — SEE PAGE 23. 

are of medium size, good layers, and non-sitters. Their eggs 
are of pure white color and ordinary size. 

THE GUINEA-FOWL. 

Although this bird is not recognized among fanciers as 
poultry, there are many who consider it worthy a place on 
the farm. The following descriptive sketch, written by W. 
Willis Harris, appeared in a recent number of the Canadian 
Poultry Review: 

There are several varieties of this bird, which is a native 
of Africa. The two varieties most generally bred 
under domestication are the speckled or pearl, and the 
white, the speckled being the much more common variety of 
the two. The unpopularity of the Guinea-fowl is chiefly due 
to its wandering habits, the difficulty of finding its eggs, 
which are laid in very secluded places, and the unpleasant 



BREEDS. 25 

noise it gives vent to, very much resembling- the grating of a 
cartwheel; but the latter has its advantages, making a flock 
as valuable at night as a first-class watch-dog. 

As game it has proved a failure, for when turned down 
in the coverts it drives away the pheasants, and will not rise 
to the gun, but will run before the dogs at a marvelously 
rapid speed. In the poultry-yard it is very spiteful (espe- 
cially the cock) to young chicks, and is, generally speaking, 
of a very pugnacious disposition. But in spite of these dis- 




PAIR OF WHITE COCHINS — SEE PAGE 21. 

advantages, as a semi-domesticated bird, it is very profitable 
upon a farm or anywhere where it can have free range and 
plenty of liberty, clearing the ground of myriads of insect 
life, and being a small feeder in comparison with ordinary 
poultry. 

From March to October the female lays a great number of 
eggs of a speckled cream-color, with hard shells, averaging 
during the season 150. Their nests are very secluded, and are 
generally made in the center of a thick hedge, in the midst of 
shrubbery, or in the depth of a copse. As they are very 
cunning in the selection of their nesting places, their eggs 
are somewhat difficult to find, but can best be discovered by 
watching any suspected spot, when the cock will be seen keep- 
ing guard whilst his mate is laying. The nest discovered, 



26 



LLOYD'S MODERN POULTRY BOOK. 



the eggs should be removed daily, two or three being" left, or 
dummies substituted, otherwise the hen will desert 
the nest and make another in a still more secluded 
place. Several hens deposit their egg's in one nest, and it is 
therefore no uncommon thing to find twenty to fifty in a 
batch. 

It is advisable to start keeping Guinea-fowls by either 
purchasing eggs and hatching them under domestic hens, or 




PAIR OF PARTRIDGE COCHINS— SEE PAGE 22. 

procuring them when young, when they are more likely to 
localize themselves to their owner's wish than if purchased 
as older birds. If adult birds be purchased, they will require 
boxing up for three weeks or a month and feeding carefully 
to tame them, otherwise they are liable to wander off at their 
own sweet will, possibly never to return. 

It is seldom the eggs are infertile, and they should be set 
in rather a damp nest, the eggs requiring more moisture than 



BREEDS 



27 



those of the common fowl. It is better to set clutches of fif- 
teen to eighteen eggs under ordinary hens (half-breed Game 
preferred), as the Guinea-hen seldom sits until the latter end 
of August, which is too late in the season for the young birds 




BUFF COCHIN — SEE PAGE 22. 

to thrive, as they have not the stamina to withstand the 
early frost and autumnal wet. The period of incubation is 
twenty-six to twenty-eight days, and if the eggs be fresh the 
chicks hatch out strong, and are of a brown color, striped 
more than spotted, with bright red legs. 

For the first three or four weeks it is absolutely neces- 
sary to fix a wire run in front of the coop in which the hen 
and her chicks are penned, until the young ones have become 



28 Lloyd's modern poultry book. 

used to the call of the' mother, or they will quickly ram- 
ble away, which they do far from slowly and the major 
portion of the brood will be lost. They are somewhat 
delicate when young, but not so difficult to rear as turkeys 
or pheasants, requiring to be similarly treated and fed. 
The grass on which they are fed should be kept closely 
mown; insects and animal food or its substitute "crissel," 
or bullocks' liver chopped fine, is absolutely essential to 
successfully rearing the Guinea-fowl. The chicks should 
be fed for the first few weeks regularly five or six times a day; 
biscuit meal makes an excellent staple food, varied with oat- 
meal and small corn at night. At five or six weeks old they 
commence to put on their adult plumage, and may be al- 
lowed full liberty with the hen. At the age of three months 
they develop the wattles and horny crests on the top of 
their heads. The sexes are somewhat difficult to distinguish 
but the male is the larger of the two, and the wattles and 
horn of the cock are larger than those of the hen. It is only 
the female that cries -'come back, come back;" the cocks 
when running after the hens arch their backs, and run in a 
mincing way as if on tiptoe. 

The Guinea-fowl in a wild state is monogamous; but un- 
der domestication some state they have run one cock with 
three or four hens successfully, but I think it would be safer 
to run in pairs. They are gregarious, and a flock reared to- 
gether will always continue to run in company and roost in 
the same tree. It is seldom they can be induced to roost in 
ordinary poultry-houses or to lay in nests provided for them, 
preferring the semi-wild state, wandering with sweet liberty 
through copse and meadow; and though natives of a hot, arid 
climate, braving the roughest of weather, and not being 
poisoned with the close atmosphere of artificial housing, they 
are, when mature, practically free from disease. 

The adult birds should be fed similarly to ordinary poul- 
try, but require insect or animal food, which, if at liberty, they 
will find for themselves. It is also advisable to feed at regu- 
lar hours, particularly at night-time, so as to induce them to 
remain at home. They come in season for the table from 
Christmas to March; the poulterers have little difficulty in 



BBEEDS. 29 

disposing of them to their customers. Like game, tbey do 
not require fattening, but, similar to pheasants, they should 
be well hung previously to cooking. 

There are but few shows in the country that provide 
classes for Guinea-fowls; they are generally exhibited in 
pairs. To prepare them for exhibition, they simply require 
to be penned for a fortnight or three weeks, to tame them, 
and their heads and legs washed, and rubbed over with a 
tiny piece of vaseline. 

Mr. Willis throws out the following as a suggested stand- 
ard in judging the 

SPECKLED OR PEARL VARIETY. 

Head — Broad, surmounted with a horny crest; wattles, 
a thick red, the freer from white patches the better. 

Beak — Strong, curved; well-set in head; in color, pinkish 
horn. 

Eyes — Bright, clear; color, steel gray. 

Face — White, dotted with fine hairs. 

Neck— Long, symmetrical curve; color, violet, purple, 
brown. 

Back — Curving, rising from the neck to the center, and 
then descending in a graceful curve to the tail. 

Breast — Broad and full. 

Body — Deep through the center, with long keel. 

Fluff— Short. 

Wings — Close, tight-fitting, with few or no white feath- 
ers in flights. 

Tail— Short. 

Thighs -Short. 

Shanks and Toes — Pink and black, the more evenly 
marked the better. Nails, light horn color. 

Color of Plumage — Black, evenly marked with small white 
dots; the more evenly the better. 

Disqualifications— Deformities of any kind. Any white or 
black feathers, except in the wing, the primaries of which 
may be white. 

SCALE OF POINTS. 

Symmetry 10 



30 LLOYD'S MODERN POULTRY BOOK. 

Size 25 

Condition 10 

Head and Wattles 10 

Color . 25 

Color of Wing 10 

Legs and Toes 10 

100 

THE WHITE GUINEA 

except in plumage, which is white throughout, is identical in 
appearance with the pearl variety. We have never raised 
any white ones,but one who has, says "they are fine layers of 
very rich flavored eggs. As layers they almost rival the Leg- 
horns. The young are hardy, and easily raised if given the 
required attention. 

"The flesh of the White Guinea, unlike that of the speckled 
variety, is very tender and toothsome. As a table fowl they 
come nearer the wild game birds than any of our domestic 
fowls. Their scarlet-trimmed heads and beautiful snow- 
white plumage attract many admirers. White Guineas 
grow rapidly, and for broilers excel young chickens, and 
farmers who want to raise something pretty as well as tooth- 
some will do well bo raise a flock of these pretty little 
birds." 

LANGSHANS. 

The Langshans are natives of Northern China, and were 
first sent from the Province of Langshan, by an employe of 
the British Government, to England. Some years ago they 
were brought to America, and fanciers generally consider 
them the best poultry acquisition we have from China- 
Langshans have straight red combs, somewhat larger than 
those of the Cochins. Their breast is full, broad and 
round, and carried well forward t being well meated, similar 
to the Dorkings. Their body is round and deep like the 
Brahmas. The universal color of the plumage is a rich 
metallic black. The tail is long, full-feathered, and of the 
same color as the body. The color of their legs is blue- 
black, with a purplish tint between the toes. 

The good qualities claimed for the Langshans are; They 



BREEDS. 



31 



are hardy, withstanding readily even severest weather. They 
attain maturity quite as early as any of the larger breeds. 
They lay large, rich eggs all the year round, and are not 
inveterate sitters. Being of large size, with white flesh and 
skin, they make an excellent table fowl, more especially so 
on account of the delicacy of the flavor which the flesh 
possesses. Standard weight of cocks, nine and a half pounds; 




PAIR LANGSHANS. 

hens, seven pounds. They seem to combine all the character- 
istics that go to make up a practically useful fowl. 

The accompanying faithful illustration will give a more 
accurate idea of them than an extended description. It will 
be observed that, apparently, they are more like the Black 
Cochin than any other breed with which we are familiar, but 
in reality they differ very essentially from them. 

BLACK SUMATRAS. 

Sumatras were introduced into the United States from 
the Island of Sumatra, and have been bred in limited num- 
bers, The accompanying illustration shows their peculiar 




32 



LLOYD'S MODERN POULTRY BOOK. 



characteristics, small heads, pea-combs, pheasant-like tails, 
broad and sweeping- low to the ground in full-plumed cocks. 
Their plumage is solid black, glossy and beautiful. They are 
stout, active, rather small birds. They are good layers and 
juicy table poultry. In the latter respect they resemble wild 





PAIR BLACK SUMATRAS. 

game more than common poultry. Although rather gamey 
in appearance they are not ranked as fighters. When first 
hatched the chicks are nearly white and retain this color till 
the first moult. After this, nearly all will assume the solid 
black with green luster. In some, occasionally white feathers 
and in others a few red are seen. These are faults and should 
be guarded against. Their legs are clean, strong and of a 
dark leaden color. 

HOUDANS. 

The Houdan is to France what the Plymouth Rock is to 
America. They derive their name from the little town of 



BREEDS. 33 

Houdan, France. It is not positively known how they orig- 
inated. Some believe they are a cross of the Black Polish 
and the Dorking. They have the fifth toe of the Dorking 
and a conformation of body between the two breeds. Their 
plumage is made up entirely of black and white. They 
have a large crest and beard which gives them a very pretty 
appearance. Their legs are medium length, unfeathered, 
pinkish white, mottled or shaded with black or lead color. 




PAIR HOUDANS. 

The fifth toe should be detached from the others and curve 
upwards. They are a splendid table fowl, having fine, close- 
grained meat in great plenty, and are considered one of the 
best breeds for broilers.. They are excellent egg producers, 
laying the largest egg of the non-sitting breeds. They 
bear confinement well, but when given their liberty forage 
well and will pick up their living equal to turkeys. The 
standard weight of the cock is seven pounds, cockerel a 
pound less, with the hen weighing the same and the pullet five 
pounds. 

CREVECCEURS. 

The head of the Crevecoeurs is quite small, and if stand- 
ard bred they have a crest and beard. The crest should be 
jet black, composed of feathers of the texture of the hackle 



34 



LLOYD'S MODEKN POULTRY BOOK. 



— large, round, close, well fitted on the crown — generally 
falling backward and rather lower on the sides of the head 
than over the beak; the comb is red, V-shaped (from which 
fact the name Crevecoeur — literally heart-break — is derived), 
and of medium size; the eyes large and bright; the neck of 
medium length, and neatly carried a little over the back; 
breast deep and full, and carried well forward; back wide 
and straight; tail full and carried generally erect: thighs 




PAIR CREVECCEURS. 

short; legs slate color or black, and free from feathers. They 
have a watchful, upright and vivacious carriage, and are a 
brilliant black. 

They rarely fly, always walk slowly, do not care to 
ramble. Are good layers, beginning a little later than the 
Brahmas and Cochins; but their eggs are very large. As a 
rule they do not sit. 

They are a first-class table bird. A full grown cock 
weighs from eight to nine pounds, and a hen from seven 
to eight. 

Their beautiful black plumage, large crests, and two- 
horned combs make them conspicuous. Although much 
thought of in France, their native land, where they rank 



BREEDS. 35 

next to the Houdan for utility, they have not proved hardy 
in this country. 

INDIAN GAME. 

The Indian Game is rapidly taking first rank as a table 
fowl, the flesh being- but little inferior to that of the turkey in 
flavor. It grows quickly and has a very large breast, thus 
making the best of broilers. Its table qualities are wonder- 
ful. The feathers are greenish-black with brown-crimson 
shafts; the legs are stout and of a yellow color. The bird is 
powerfully built and has a very broad body. It weighs as 
much as the Brahma, though it does not appear nearty so 
large. The hens are among the best of mothers, and are as 
good layers as the Plymouth Rocks. 

LA FLECHE. 

This breed, originating in France, has not as yet been 
extensively introduced in this country, it being the general 
belief that it is constitutionally too weak to bear the severe 
winters of the Northern States, though this may be due in 
large measure to in-breeding. Their ancestry is shrouded 
in mystery, but they are probably closely related to the 
Spanish, and, like them, do best in the mildest country. 

The plumage is glossj^ black throughout, the shanks 
leaden black, the ear-lobes pure white like those of the Black 
Spanish. The comb is bright red and shaped like a pair of 
horns, pointing almost straight upward, with two small 
knobs in front of each horn. They are non-sitters and lay 
large white eggs of a rich flavor. The French consider their 
flesh very fine eating. The standard weight of the cock ia 
eight and one-half pounds, and of the "len seven and one-half. 

BLUE ANDALUSIANS. 

This breed is claimed to have originated in the Province 
of Andalusia, Spain, from whence it takes its name. It is an 
older variety than the Minorca and resembles it in many 
respects. It is a hardy fowl, easily acclimated, and more do- 
cile than any of the other non-sitting breeds. 

The plumage is blue and black, the comb single and 
rather large, and in the hen falls to one side, partly conceal- 
ing the eye. It is a fair table bird, but is especially esteemed 



36 



LLOYD'S MODERN POULTRY BOOK. 



for. its laying qualities, being considered superior to the 
Leghorns by the English; it also surpasses that breed in size. 

SHERWOODS. 

The Sherwoods were first brought to the notice of the 
general public in 1890, by W. Atlee Burpee & Co. They area 
cross of White Georgia Games and Light Brahmas. They 
derive from their Brahma parentage a heavy body but are 
shorter in leg; from the.Game parentage, fuller breasts. They 




TYPICAL GUINEA FOWL— SEE PAGE 29. 
Reproduced from Poultry World. 

are very stylish birds and very majestic in carriage, with 
clojje, compact bodies. Their yellow bills, beautiful erect 
combs of medium size, bright red ear-lobes, white plumage, 
and yellow legs, slightly feathered to the outside toe, make 
them an^attractive sight on the lawn. Their feathers are not 
fluffy, but are close, like the Indian Games. They endure the 
cold weather better than the Asiatics or other fowls of equal 
size. It is claimed the young chicks are hardier than any 
other breed in existence; damp weather seems to have little 
or no effect on them. They grow rapidly, mature early, and 
are ready for broilers at ten weeks. In fact, the chicks just 
out of the shell are almost double the weight of a Brahma at 
the same age. They are very careful and attentive mothers, 
yet gentle and tractable to handle. They lay equally as well 



BREEDS. 37 

as the Plymouth Rock and the eggs are of a very large size, 
white in color, fine flavor, and good quality. The birds are 
of good size, cocks weighing from ten to twelve pounds; hens 
eight to nine pounds. For table use they are unexcelled, the 
flesh being tender and delicious, partaking somewhat of the 
game flavor. They are considered one of the best general-pur- 
pose fowls. 

WHITE WONDERS. 

This breed, recently introduced into New England, seems 
to have been originally a cross between the White Wyandotte 
and Light Brahma. They closely resemble the former, but 
are larger and have feathered legs. They are superb layers, 
and nighty esteemed as market fowls, having brought three 
cents above the highest price, as broilers, on the Boston mar- 
ket. 

SILVER-GRAY DORKINGS. 

The males have black breasts, silver-white hackles and 
saddles, black tail, wing bows silvery white, wing coverts 
black, and black bodies. The females are fully as handsome. 
They have silver gray heads; hackles, silver-gray; breast, 
bright salmon; back gray. Thej^ have large square- shaped 
bodies, short legs, with five distinct toes on each foot. The 
comb is large and single, and the shanks are white or flesh- 
colored. The Dorking is the only distinctive English breed, 
and is prized by them for its large, tender, juicy breast meat. 
The White Dorking differs from the Silver-gray in having a 
rose comb and pure white plumage throughout. 

The Colored variety has either a rose or single comb, 
and the plumage of the cock is black and white on neck and 
back, with black breast, body and tail; that of the hen is 
black on neck with gray edging-, dark gray marked with 
black on the back, dark salmon marked with black on breast, 
body dark brown or black mixed with gray. 

WHITE LEGHORNS. 

This is the original of the Leghorn family, all others 
having been derived from it by crossing. Its pure white 
plumage and yellow legs make it a handsome bird. The comb 
of the cock is large and erect, that of the hen falls to one 
side. It is a non-sitter and is one of the best layers, the eggs 



38 



LLOYD S MODERN POULTRY BOOK. 




PAIR WHITE LEGHORNS. 




PAIR BROWN LEGHORNS. 



BREEDS. 



39 



being as large as those of some of the heavy breeds. The Leg- 
horn is small but feathers quickly, making it Jvaluable to the 
"broiler-men" for crossing with the Asiatics. The flesh is of 
a fine flavor, making a good fowl for family use. The pullets 
sometimes begin to lay when only four months old. There is 




SILVER-SPANGLED HAMBURG — COCK. 

a rose-combed variety which differs only in having the comb 
like that of the Hamburgs. 

Black Leghorns in most points are similar to the single- 
comb White. Their shanks and toes are yellow or yellowish 
black and their plumage is a rich glossy black. 

But for color of plumage the Dominique Leghorn in lookr 
is identical with the single-comb White. The plumage 
throughout is a grayish white, each feather regularly crossed 
with parallel bars of blue-black, giving in effect a bluish 
tinge. 



40 



LLOYD'S MODERN POULTRY BOOK. 



BROWN LEGHORNS. 

This variety came from the White by a cross with the 
Black Red Game. They greatly resemble the former except 
in color, though they do not lay as large an egg. The plum- 
age of the cock is reddish bay on head, dark red on back and 




PAIR BLACK MINORCAS. 



black on breast, with large, well curved tail of metallic black. 
The head and back of the hen are dark brown and breast 
salmon brown. There is also a rose-combed variety. 

SILVER-SPANGLED HAMBURGS. 

This is a very attractive breed, the plumage being white 
with large blackjspangles; its large, bright rose-comb adds 



BREEDS. 41 

much to its appearance. It is not a valuable market bird, on 
account of its small size, but in number of eggs it is hard to 
beat. It is a small eater and can be kept at little expense. 

BLACK MINORCAS. 

When the Black Minorca first made its appearance in 
America it was known as the Red-Faced Black Spanish. Black 
Minorcas are one of the handsomest breeds in the Spanish 
class. They are very stylish birds, majestic in carriage, with 
close, compact bodies, and low, well-set legs. The plumage 
is a beautiful, glossy black, shaded with the purple hue pe- 
culiar to some black birds. The face is coral red, with white 
ear-lobes. The legs are dark slate, or nearly black. They 
are exceptionally good layers, some claim equaling the Leg- 
horns, and their eggs are much larger. A well-known English 
writer places the Minorcas first among all fowls as layers, 
and says: "They will lay from 200 to 225 eggs a year." One 
breeder of this variety has a record of 247 eggs from one Mi- 
norca hen in 365 days. The chicks mature rapidly, and are 
fit for broilers at from ten to twelve weeks. They are non- 
sitters, although they have been known to sit and rear their 
young. This, however, can be rarely depended upon. They 
possess a lively disposition, are very hardy, good foragers, 
and small eaters. Their useful and profitable qualities, com- 
bined with their handsome appearance, make them very pop- 
ular. The mature cock should weigh eight pounds and the 
hen six and one-half. 

White Minorcas, except in plumage, which is pure W T hite, 
are exact counterparts of the Black variety. 

THE LIGHT BRAHMA. 

This is the largest of all the breeds, the standard weight 
of the cock being twelve pounds, and of the hen nine and a 
half. The hens are good mothers and lay large eggs. Like 
most of the other Asiatic breeds, they are quiet, docile and 
easily confined. They are generally kept for their flesh, as it 
is firm, juicy, of good flavor and great quantity, but they 
lack plumpness and have too much bone for broilers. The 
color is white with black hackles and tails. They have a 
small pea-comb and heavily feathered legs. 



42 



LLOYD'S MODERN POULTRY BOOK. 




PAIR LIGHT BRAHMAS. 




PAIR DARK BRAHMAS. 



BREEDS. *d 

DARK BRAHMAS. 

These birds closely resemble the Light Brahmas except in 
color. They also weigh a little less. 

The cock has white hackles and saddles, each feather be- 
ing streaked with black, the plumage on the breast is black, 
on the back and wings whitish. The general plumage of the 
hen is black with steel-gray pencilings. 

VIOLETTES. 

Little is known of this new and beautiful variety, and 
but few have seen them. They have the markings of the 
Golden Wyandotte, only instead of black they are a rich 
violet blue; this makes them very beautiful and attractive. 
Ail who have seen them pronounce them the prettiest 
thing out. The contrast between the blue and the 
gold makes them quite a novelty. In make-up, they have 
rose combs, with white or yellowish white ear-lobes, bright 
yellow legs, and in size, between the Wyandotte and the 
Leghorn, making them about a pound lighter than the 
Wyandotte. One of the originators of the breed says "there 
are two distinct strains, all being bred to the same ideal and 
helping each other, and in course of a year or two we will 
show the public what can be done by skill and careful breed- 
ing. We do not claim for them that they are better than 
other American varieties, but one thing sure, they will lay 
more eggs than the Wyandottes and still be a sitting breed. 
We are not claiming the earth, but when put on the market 
they will stand for themselves." 

BLACK JAY AS. 

The name might lead one to think that this breed came 
from the island bearing its name; on the contrary it was or- 
iginated in Missouri about- twenty years ago. It is hardier 
than the Plymouth Rock, and is equal to it in size and table 
qualities. The plumage is glossy black, the comb rather 
small and single, the legs black, the tail rather long and 
curved straight up and then back. Its yellow skin and 
plump body brings a ready sale on the "dressed poultry'* 
market. 



44 Lloyd's modern poultry book. 

There are also White and Mottled (black and white) vari- 
eties, whose chief characteristics are the same as the Blacks. 

WYANDOTTES. 

Though one of the newest, this is one of the most popu- 
lar of the American breeds. They are a hardy fowl, are one 
of the best layers of the sitting- breeds and have plump yellow 
bodies and their flesh is of fine flavor. Their plumage [ arid ; 
shape also make them favorites. In fact, taking all the de- 
sirable qualities into consideration, the Wyandotte is very 
properly called a "general-purpose fowl." Some go as far as 
to call it "the general- purpose fowl.' 1 

There are four varieties recognized by the American 
Poultry Association, the Silver, the Golden, the White, and 
the Buff; the Black, though not recognized, is becoming quite 
popular, and the Columbian, "latest born," is now claiming 
attention. The Silver was the original variety; early in the 
seventies, several leading breeders produced, from different 
crosses, breeds which closely resembled one another. These 
became known as American Sebrights; but before they were 
admitted to the "Standard," the cross between the Dark 
Brahma and the Silver Spangled Hamburg took the precedent 
and the name was changed to Wyandottes. 

About this time a gentleman in Wisconsin perfected a 
cross between the original Wyandotte (now known as the 
Silver) and a "composite" fowl of his own breeding; this cross 
was called the Golden. It differs from the Silver only in 
having the body plumage reddish and golden bay instead of 
silvery white, the wings and tails of both varieties are black 
and the body feathers are striped through center with same 
color. 

The White and the Black varieties are "sports" of the 
Silver, and are respectively solid white and black throughout. 

The Buff is made up of many breeds and is claimed to 
have less Wyandotte characteristics than the others. It is of 
recent introduction to the public, not being known to one 
of the leading poultry journals of America two years ago. 

The Columbian Wyandotte was first advertised as the Bra 
Wyandotte, a name probably intended to be descriptive of 
its appearance, for we are informed that it has the shape of 



BREEDS, 



45 



the Wyandotte and the plumage of the Light Brahma. "Its 
originator," Mr. B. M. Briggs, assures us that it has not a drop 
of Brahma blood and that the variety was suggested by an 
accidental cross. What the cross' was, he leaves us to guess as 
best we may; he volunteers no information upon the subject. 
With the White Wyandotte in the field and filling the demand 
for a white fowl of the size and the characteristics of the 




SILVER WYANDOTTES. 

Wyandotte, the chances of success for the Columbian seem to 
be heavily handicapped; should it succeed in spite of this fact, 
it will prove that the Light Brahma marking is one that suits 
the people and helps to account for the continued popularity 
of the favorite Asiatic fowl. ' ' 

All the Wyandottes have rose combs and yellow legs. The 
shape much resembles that of the Dark Brahma but is more 
trim in appearance owing to its Hamburg blood. The mature 
cock should weigh at least eight and one-half pounds and the 
hen six and one-half pounds. 

THE NAKED-NECKED FOWL. 

This breed originated in Transylvania. The neck is bare 
nearlv down to the breast, and is of a red color and 



46 



LLOYD'S MODEKN POULTRY BOOK. 



smooth. There is a spot heavily feathered just on top of 
the crop. The chicks grow rapidly and feather more quick- 
ly than Hamburgs. They are good table fowls and small eat- 
ers; the hens lay good-sized dark eggs, and plenty of them. The 
cock weighs about seven pounds, and the hen five. The accoin- 




"•^^stjj lr^j 



NAKED-NECKED FOWL. 

panying illustration from Poultry (England) is a very life- 
like representation — an accurate portrait of one shown at a 
show in London. In Germany, where this bird receives the 
most attention, and where the best ones are kept, the plu- 
mage is black. The Naked-Necked Fowls, while those who 
have kept them have claimed for them many profitable qual- 
ities, have been mainly looked upon as curiosities, and have 
been shown of several types and different styles of combs, 
clean and feathered legs, and of various colors. 



BREEDS. 47 

BANTAMS 

are really nothing but dwarfs produced from the larger 
breeds, principally by crossing, late hatching and scant feed- 
ing. If hatched early and fed heavily their size will be 
increased. 

Besides those recognized by American fanciers there are 
several varieties in process of development, and it is but a 
question of time, perseverance and skillful breeding when 
there will be a Bantam or dwarf of every standard breed and 
variety. 

It is usually not the farmer with hundreds of acres of 
ground that keeps Bantams; but the city resident, with his 
little narrow back yard, may keep them with much pleasure. 
A few feet of ground and a dry, well ventilated dry-goods 
box for a coop, will do for a few of these fowls. They are 
both a useful and a fancy fowl. Prettiness is not all there is 
of them, for, in proportion to size of bird, there is no fowl 
that lays a larger egg than the Bantam. The small amount 
of food that they require and the goodly number of eggs 
that they lay are also in their favor. 

BLACK AFRICAN BANTAMS 

are the smallest of the hen tribe, weighing only ten to fif- 
teen ounces. But they are as conceited as Peacocks. Their 
plumage is jet black and they have white ear-lobes and small 
rose-combs. The cocks have large sweeping tails which with 
their color and small size make them very attractive. 

PEKIN OR COCHIN BANTAMS. 

For some time there has been a variety of Bantams much 
admired for their quaint likeness to the well known Buff Co- 
chin, and recently the Black, White and Partridge varieties 
have been originated. They will probably become popular 
among those who like an attractive fowl "built" on a small 
scale. 

GOLDEN SEBRIGHT BANTAMS. 

The Sebright Bantam is one of the hardiest varieties to 
breed to a high standard of perfection. In the opinion of 
some they are the most beautiful of all the Bantams and in 
many respects superior to auy of the pigmies. Their 



48 



LLOYD'S MODERN POULTRY BOOK. 



fine plumage, of rich, golden yellow, laced with black, large 
rose-combs, with well- developed spikes, and blue legs, make 
them" an' object of beauty , admired by all who see them* It 
required years to produce these little fellows. The tail 
feathers of the cock are rarely laced with black; in many 
cases running all black, but if nicely tipped with black, 
will stand good in the closest of competition. He 




PAIR OF GOLDEN SEBRIGHT BANTAMS. 

should be perfectly hen-feathered throughout. Not 
only should his tail be free from sickle feathers, but the 
feathering on the neck and saddle should be like the hen. 
The hen-tailed cock is the correct type and a bird with pure 
white ear-lobes has obtained one of the rarest points on the 
Sebrights, as in most cases they run of a bluish tint, and in 
many cases they are all red. 

The Silver Sebright only differs from the Golden in 
having the groundwork of the plumage silver white. 

BOOTED WHITE BANTAMS. 

These much resemble the Sebrights in shape and carriage, 
but their abundant hackle and saddle feathers and long 1 



BREEDS. 49 

sickles give them quite a different appearance. They are 
pure white throughout and have single combs. The thighs 
are furnished with long, stiff feathers, and the shanks are 
heavily feathered, hence the name "Booted." 

WHITE-CRESTED WHITE POLISH BANTAMS. 

This breed closely resembles the White-Crested Black 
Polish, except in size and color, although the comb may be 
either small and single or leaf (V-shaped). The plumage is 




SILVER SEBRIGHT' BANT AM. 

pure white, and combined with the large crest makes them an 
attractive, ornamental fowls, for which they are especially 
adapted, being very domestic by nature, and readily sub- 
mitting to petting. 

JAPANESE BANTAMS 

are among the most admired of the Bantams, yet it is prob- 
ably their oddity rather than their beauty that gives them 
this distinction. They have very short legs, full breasts and 
low-carried wings, so that they often appear to be squatting 
when they are in reality standing. The cock has a large red 
comb and a very large tail, carried so erect that it often 
almost touches the back of his head. When mature they are 



50 



LLOYD'S MODERN POULTRY BOOK. 



quite hardy, though their combs are easily frost-bitten; as 
chicks they are rather delicate. Although they have been 
bred in a variety of colors, there are only three varieties 
recognized in America, the White, the Black and the Black- 
Tailed, which is pure white excepting the tail. 

GAME BANTAMS. 

There are seven varieties of these, namely: Black- 
Breasted Red, Brown Red, Golden, and Silver Duckwing, Red 




PAIR OF JAPANESE BANTAMS. 

Pyle, White and Black. They are the same in shape and 
color as the Games from which they are named, but the 
weight of the cock is only twenty-two ounces, while that of 
the hen is twenty. 

BLACK-RED GAME BANTAMS. 

Probably the most numerously bred Bantam is the Black- 
breasted Red. The brilliant pluming of the male and the 
slim, slick bodies of both sexes, with their upright carriage, 
make them very attractive. They are perfect miniature 
Games — exactly like the Black-Reds in color and style, only 
smaller. They are ~2ry handsome, saucy, independent and 
sprightly little pets. They lay abundantly, and, while their 



BREEDS. 51 

eggs are small, many prefer their flavor, when cooked, to 
those of larger breeds. 

ROSE-COMBED BANTAMS. 

These are just the opposite of Game Bantams in shape. 
The head is carried back over the body. The breast is car- 
ried well forward and the legs are set midway of the body. 
The tail is full and well expanded and the legs are short. 
The hens are good layers, producing eggs freely in the win- 
ter. The chicks mature rapidly and are very pugnacious at 
an early age, often killing one another when only six weeks 
old. 

There are two varieties which differ little but in color. 
These are the White, pure white throughout, and the Black, 
lustrous black. 

ODD VARIETIES OF BANTAMS. 

Fly Fishers are an English variety with a slaty blue 
plumage like the Andalusian. The hackle feathers are used in 
making artificial flies for fishiDg, hence the name. They are 
probably a close relation to the Cuckoo Bantam. 

The Silk Bantam is called a separate variety by some, but 
much resembles the Silkies, which are often no larger than a 
Bantam. Their plumage is very fine and much like silk. 

Frizzled Bantams are another oddity, having recurved 
plumage. They are nothing but dwarf specimens of the Friz- 
zled fowls, and are found only in England. 

THE ORIGIN OF GAMES. 

The origin of the Game cock is enveloped in con- 
siderable obscurity, for whilst many naturalists affirm 
that it is the reclaimed wild jungle fowl, as still 
found in India, many others who have given the 
subject much careful consideration and research, are 
of the opinion that our Game fowls originated in 
Persia, where they deem it likely that a race of white- 
legged birds were very early reclaimed, but whose originals, 
like many wild animals, have long since become extinct. 
Their sporting history is recorded in Persia, and in the early 
records of China, although most writers point to Themista- 
cles as the first cocker known to fame, who, some historians 



LLOYD 8 MODERN POULTRY BOOK. 




BLACK-BREASTED RED MALAY- 



BREEDS. 53 

state, received an omen of the success of the army he was 
leading", from the crowing of the cocks. But Aoileu, the 
author cited, says he saw the cocks fighting. Yet Idomeuses, 
long before that time, bore on his shield the effigies of a cock 
as a martial bird. History informs us that they were bred 
for fighting in the reign of Croesus, king of Lydia. (A. M. 
3426). The ancient Dordanii had representations of cock 
fighting on their coins. The fighting cock was one of the 
principal gods of the Lyrians, and the learned Hebrew, Dr. 
Rabbi David, interpreting the 17th chapter of II. Kings, 
verses 30 and 31, says "Nergel" was a cock' for war or fight- 
ing, or a champion cock, and by the Samaritans worshipped 
for a god. — Cocker's Guide. 

BLACK-BREASTED RED MALAY. 

This breed much resembles the Black- Breasted Red 
Game in appearance and is the only variety of Malays that 
is recognized by the American Poultry Association, although 
white, pyle and black colored varieties are also raised. None 
of them have ever been very popular in the United States. 
They are ungainly and of a savage disposition; the hens are 
only moderate layers and are apt to kill the chicks of others 
and sometimes even their own brobds. The Malays have here- 
tofore been used principally in crossing with heavier breeds 
but they are now being rapidly superseded by their "cous- 
ins" the Indian Game. For the excellent illustration of this 
breed, on the preceding page, we are indebted to the American 
Agriculturist. 

BLACK-BREASTED RED GAMES. 

This is one of the most beautiful and majestic as well 
as best known breed of Games. The accompanying illustra- 
tion gives a good idea of the general bearing of this bird. 
The plumage of the cock, as the name indicates, is red on neck 
and back, and black on breast, body and tail. The hen is not 
as brilliantly colored; the back is light brown penciled with 
dark brown; breast, light salmon, and the body ashy brown. 
They are a very hardy fowl and are esteemed for the flavor of 
their flesh and eggs, and are perhaps the best adapted of all 
Games for the general use of the farmer. Some who have 



54 



LLOYD* S MODERN POULTRY BOOK. 



been induced to keep them will now have no other breed on 
their place. They are also favorites with the fancier. 

DUCKWING GAMES. 

The two varieties which comprise this breed are the 
Golden and the Silver. They both have the general Game 
characteristics, and the cocks are alike in the black plumage 
of breast, body, tail, thighs, and greater part of the wing. 




BLACK-BREASTED RED GAMES. 

The hackle and saddle of the Golden are straw-colored, and 
the back, shoulder coverts and wing-bows are golden. The 
Silver cock has silvery-white plumage in the place of the 
golden or straw-colored of the first mentioned variety. The 
hens of both varieties have salmon-colored breasts, black 
tails, and the rest of the plumage gray, but the Silver hen is 
of a lighter shade throughout than the Golden. 

THE BLACK AND THE WHITE GAMES 

are similar to the foregoing except in plumage — that of the 
Black being wholly black, with metallic lustre, and the 
White, pure white. 

PIT GAMES. 

These are often known as 'Old English Games," and are 



BREADS. 55 

bred in a variety of colors. Their name suggests the use to 
which they have ordinarily been put, but they are now being 
more generally bred for their beauty than heretofore. Their 
eggs and flesh are both of high quality, and though small in 
size the eggs are produced in abundance. They differ greatly 
from the ordinary game in shape — the head and legs are com- 
paratively short and the tail well spread and carried high. 

JAPANESE PH02NIX FOWLS 

have never been bred any particular color, but are to be seen 
in nearly the variety of colors that the Games are. The hens 
have a gamy appearance and the cocks have very long tails, 
which makes them very attractive on the lawn. They are 
fair layers, are about the size of the Leghorns, and quite 
similar to them in habit. 

HAMBURGS. 

We have already described two varieties of this breed — 
the Black and the Silver-spangled. There are four others — 
the Golden-spangled, the Golden-penciled, the Silver-penciled 
and the White. The only marked difference in the varieties 
is in the plumage. That of the Golden-spang-led differs from 
that of the Silver-spangled in that the groundwork is red- 
dish or golden bay instead of silvery white, and the tail is 
greenish black. 

The Penciled varieties are much the same in plumage as 
their Spangled "cousins," except that the black on the hens 
is in small even bars, and that on the cock is conspicuous for 
its absence, there being none except a slight marking on the 
wings and fluff. 

The White Hamburg has pure white plumage throughout. 

REDCAPS 

derive their name from their large, bright red, cap-shaped 
combs. They have been called the great English lay- 
ers and are noted for their wonderful egg-producing 
qualities. They lay a fine large egg and lots of them, 
some breeders claim more than the Leghorns or any 
other non-sitting breed, and that they are a better table 
fowl. They are heavier than the Leghorns and, their flesh 
being equally as good, they will bring more on the market, 



56 



LLOYD S MODERN POULTRY BOOK. 



after their usefulness as layers is past. This is quite a con- 
sideration in the minds of some, but it is impossible to com- 
bine excessive egg- production and superior table qualities in 
one fowl. As to whether they are a beautiful bird, tastes 
differ. Some object to their large combs, and there are 
breeders making a point of the "neat, medium-sized combs" 




REDCAPS. 

of their birds. They have a plumage that will stand contam" 
ination with dirt, dust and weather the year round, and still 
look well. They are a shapely, well-formed, compact bird; 
a fowl for use and commercial purposes. The standard 
weight of the cock is seven and one-half pounds, that of the 
hen six and one-half, and when fattened for market they can 
be made to weigh one-half to two pounds more than the Leg- 
horns. The distinguishing feature of the Redcap, as sug- 
gested above, is the rose-comb, which should be at least 
medium large, full of fancy spikes, stand perfectly straight 



BREEDS. 57 

and firm on the head, with a straight spike behind. The comb 
of the hen differs from that of the cock only in being- smaller. 
The neck hackle of the cock is a rich dark red, or golden 
red, striped with bluish black; back, black and red; breast 
and tail, black; saddle hackle, rich deep red striped with 
bluish black; wings, nut brown; wing coverts, bluish black; 
legs, slate color and of good length, free from feathers; ear- 
lobes and face red. The ground-color of the hen is a rich 
nut brown, each feather tipped with a bluish black half-moon 
or crescent-shaped spangle; tail, black; ear-lobes and face, 
red; neck hackle laced with red. Whether considered ••hand- 
some" or not they are finding great favor in America; it may 
be because "handsome is that handsome does." 

AMERICAN DOMINIQUES. 

From this breed, combined with the Asiatics, sprang the 
well-known Plymouth Rock. 

They are very similar to their progeny, both in good 
qualities and appearance, excepting they have rose-combs- 
and are not quite as heavy. They mature quite early and 
are very hardy, being able to stand our Northern winters 
much better than most breeds. 

SILKIES 

are kept for their odd plumage, the feathers being soft, 
silky and pure white. They have a rose-comb, which is near- 
ly round and of a lumpy appearance. This is generally ex- 
posed to full view, as their compact crest falls backward, 
leaving the face and comb uncovered. The saddle feathers 
fall on either side of the tail in a silky mass. The shanks 
and outer toes are covered with silkj feathers. This breed 
has five toes. The hens are good mothers; on this account, 
and because of the great warmth of their plumage they are 
used in rearing Pheasants and Bantams. 

BLACK SPANISH. 

This is the oldest of the non-sitting breeds, having been 
known for nearly two thousand years. This also makes it 
one of the earliest breeds that are still in favor. It is a very 
prolific layer of large, white eggs, but its flesh is not equal 
to that of many breeds. The birds have a large, smooth 



58 



LLOYD 8 MODERN POULTRY BOOK. 



face, pure white in color; the contrast between this and their 
solid black plumage gives them a beautiful appearance to 
many people. Like most of the Mediterranean breeds their 
combs are very large and easily frosted ; aside from this, they 
are naturally a hardy fowl, but their hardiness has been 
somewhat lessened by constant close breeding for a pure 




BLACK SPANISH. 






white face, showing the foolish mistake some breeders 
always make — sacrifice a valuable quality to gratify a whim 
for a fancy (?) point. 

ORPINGTONS 

a're probably Plymouth Rocks colored by Langshan blood, 
though some claim they are a cross between the Langshan 
and Minorca. They are fair imitations of the Black Java but 
inferior to them. The bottoms of the feet are pink instead 



BREEDS. 



50 



of yellow, the color of the Javas. In England they take the 
place of the Black Wyandotte. 

ENGLISH "FULL-FEATHERED" COCHINS. 

There are "fads' ' among chicken-fanciers as well as other 




FULL-FEATHERED PARTRIDGE COCHIN HEN (ENGLISH TYPE). 

people. One "point" in fancy breeding among English 
breeders much sought for is the "full-feathered" type. Our 
illustrations on this and the following page show to what ex- 
treme the "point" has been bred. One is a typical full- 
feathered Partridge Cochin, the other a typical Buff Cochin. 



M Lloyd's modern poultry book. 

FRIZZLED FOWLS 

are only "oddities," and may be of any color and with 
either single or double combs, the one necessary charac- 
teristic being- that the feathers curve backwards or upwards 
at the ends, especiallly in the hackle and saddle. 

JERSEY BLUES. 

This breed is not as well-known as the majority of the 
other American breeds. In shape and carriage it is quite 




FULL-FEATHERED BUFF COCHIN (ENGLISH TYPE). 

similar to the Plymouth Rock. The plumage is dark blue 
except on breast and body, where it is a light shade of blue, 
laced with dark. 

They are not very good layers, and their flesh is rather 
coarse and stringy. 

RUSSIANS. 

This is one of the less known breeds. They have a rose- 
comb and heavy beard. The back is broad and tapering to 
the tail; the breast, round and full, and the tail is carried 
erect. The plumage is greenish black. 

SULTANS. 

The plumage of this breed is pure white. They have 



61 



small combs, nearly concealed by their large, compact crests. 
The beard is full and unites with the crest, thus covering 
the face. The body is square, deep and carried low. The 
tail is large and full. The thighs are short and vulture- 
hocked. s The legs are heavily feathered. They have five 
toes.. 

BLACK COCHINS. 

This variety has the same characteristics as the other 




PAIR FRIZZLED FOWLS. 

Cochins, but its solid black color gives it the preference 
with many breeders. 

POLISH. 

I have already mentioned at length some of the varieties 
of this highly ornamental breed. The others are very similar, 
except in color; which is the best is decided by the tastes of 
the owners. There are two varieties of the Silver, the 
Bearded and those without beard; their plumage is spangled 
and laced in the same manner as that of the Golden, but the 
ground- work is silvery white. The Bearded and Unbearded 



62 



LLOYD'S MODERN POULTRY BOOK. 



White have pure white plumage throughout. The plumage 
of the Buff-laced is rich buff, each feather being" laced with 
pale buff. They have beards. 

RED PYLE GAME. 

This breed is noted for their courage and hardiness, yet 
not lacking in beauty. Color of male, head, hackle and sad- 
dle orange, light red or chestnut; back, red or crimson; 
breast, ground color white; shafts and margin of feathers, 




RED PYLE GAME. 

chestnut red; wings white and red; tail white; body white. 
Female, head, brownish red; breast, salmon; rest of plumage 
mostly white to creamy white. 

BROWN RED GAME. 

This variety of game is very handsome; color of male, 
neck, back and saddle lemon, with narrow stripe of black in 
the middle of the feathers; breast, ground color, black laced 
with lemon; wing bow, lemon; wiDg coverts, glossy black; 
primaries and secondaries, black; body and tail, black. The 
female, neck lemon with a narrow stripe of black in middle 
feathers, breast ground color black, evenly laced with lemon; 
otherwise the plumage is black througkout. The shanks 
and feet of both cock and hen are dark willow or nearly 
black. The hen is a very good layer. 



63 



RUMPLESS. 

This is another oddity and, like the Frizzles, any color or 
any shape of comb is admissible, so long as there is no sign of 
a tail. 

THE CURA.SSOW 

is a native of South America. There are more than twelve 




species of them. The best known is Crested Curassow, 
which has been domesticated in its native land. It is of 
a greenish black color with a white crest. It much resembles 
the turkey in size, general characteristics and quality of 
flesh. Some claim that the flesh is whiter and of finer flavor. 
When taken from their home in the Northern part of South 



64 LLOYD S MODERN POULTRY BOOK. 

America they will thrive in fair-sized flocks in aviaries if kept 
on dry soil and given plenty of shade and shelter, and given 
the same care as bestowed upon turkeys. Our illustration is 
taken from a drawing by Sewell for the Poultry Monthly, of 
one of a pair on exhibition at Madison Square Garden, New 
York City, which were much admired and brought out many 
commendations. There is no doubt about their good points, 
and it will probably not be long before some live poultry 
breeder will push them to the front. 

WILD TURKEYS, 

as found indigenous to North America are the parent stock 
of all the breeds found in domestication. The male of the 
common Wild turkey is about three and one-half feet long and 
five feet in extent of wings, weighing from fifteen to twenty 
pounds. The naked skin of the neck and head is livid blue and 
the caruncle purplish red. The general color of plumage 
is copper bronze with green and metallic reflections, each 
feather with a velvet black margin: quills brown closely 
barred with white, tail feathers chestnut narrowly barred 
with black, and the tip with a very wide subterminal black 
bar. The female is smaller, usually weighing about nine 
pounds, and less brilliant in color, without spurs, often with- 
out bristles on the breast and with a smaller process above 
the base of the bill. The legs of both sexes are red or pink. 
The gobblers do not get their growth and full plum- 
age till the end of the third year and increase in weight 
and beauty for several years after that. Gobblers weighing 
thirty-six and forty pounds have been shot. The feathers lie 
very close and hard, so that the birds weigh more than their 
apparent size indicates. The hens do not get their full 
growth till four or five years old, and may be heavier later. 
Wild gobblers mate later and the hens lay later than domes- 
tic turkeys. The flesh is excellent in flavor and is more juicy 
and delicate than that of their domesticated descendants. 
Our illustration is a reduction from a reproduction 
of Andubon's fine colored plate of free wild gobbler, 
and is a faithful representation of this noble native Amer- 
ican. 



BREEDS, 



65 




WILD TURKEY (MALE). 



66 



LLOYD'S MODERN POULTRY BOOK. 



BRONZE TURKEYS. 

The Mammoth Bronze, as it is usually styled, is deemed 




BRONZE TURKEY (MALE). 

by all to be the largest and hardiest of all turkeys. The true 
Bronze is of a rich, changeable, metallic color, which shiDes 
in the sunlight like gold. The plumage of hen is not as brill- 



07 



iant as the male nor the colors quite as clearly defined though 
similar throughout. They do not usually attain their full 
size and weight until from three to four years old. At ma- 
turity the hens weigh from fifteen to twenty pounds and the 
gobblers thirty-five to forty pounds each. The first year, how- 
ever, they will outweigh any other variety. They are ex- 
cellent layers, good mothers, hardy, make rapid growth, and 
are excellent foragers. The young may be raised by hens or 
turkey hens. The latter are, no doubt, much preferred as the 
turkey mother is more careful of the tender poults and it has 
been our experience that they may be entrusted to her care 
when first hatched, if the weather is warm and favorable. 
Should the weather be wet about the time they are hatched it 
is good policy to confine them for a week or more. After 
this they should be allowed to range with their mother when 
the grass is dry. 

BLACK TURKEYS. 

This bird is a favorite on the market on account of its 
plump body and yellow skin. It is tamer than the other 
varieties, and fattens on less feed. It is also claimed to be a 
better sitter. The plumage is lustrous black throughout. 
Shanks long and stout, of a dark lead or slaty black 
color. Standard weight: cock, twenty-seven pounds: hen, 
eighteen. 

MAMMOTH WHITE TURKEYS. 

This distinct new breed, introduced in 1890, originated as 
a sport from the Mammoth Bronze, in a similar manner as 
most white fowls have come as sports from the darker varie- 
ties. The breeder has spent a number of j'ears in perfecting 
them, and now they throw onty occasionally a dark poult. 
They have the general characteristics of the Bronze variety, 
except that they are even handsomer, mature earlier, and are 
rather more domestic in their habits. The plumage is pure 
white throughout, the heads and wattles bright red, and 
shanks pinkish or flesh color. They almost equal in size the 
Mammoth Bronze turkeys. They are not, as some might 
suppose, selected from the White Hollands, but are a distinct 
breed in every particular, and are certainly a great acquisi- 



68 LLOYD'S MODERN POULTRY BOOK. 

tion as the first and only breed of pure white turkeys that is 
both hardy and of large size. 

WHITE HOLLAND TURKEYS. 

White Holland turkeys rank high as table fowls, mak- 
ing" a nice appearance when dressed. They have a plump, 
fine-boned carcass and juicy, well-flavored meat. While not 
as large as the Bronze turkeys they dress fully as high a per- 
centage of flesh. The standard weight of the cock is twenty- 
six pounds, that of the hen sixteen. They have a lighter 
colored skin than other breeds. The skin of the body 
has a pinkish tinge which is attractive. White Hollands 
have clear white plumage, though during summer, like 
other white fowls, they become more or less yellow. The 
bills, legs and feet are a white, pinkish or flesh color. They 
are usually favorites on the market on account of itheir at- 
tractive appearance and delicate flesh. 

At seven months of age they weigh as much as the 
Bronze, but at a year old they fall short. They are the best 
layers and mothers of any of the turkey tribe, and are more 
domestic in their habits. 

NARRAGANSETT TURKEYS. 

This breed is nearly as large as the Bronze and matures 
much more rapidly. The plumage is metallic black, each 
feather ending in a steel gray band edged with black, which 
gives it an attractive appearance. The standard weight is 
thirty-two pounds for the cocks and twenty -two for the hens. 

BUFF AND SLATE TURKEYS 

are identical with the Black except in color of plumage and 
shanks. The name in each variety indicates the color of plu- 
mage. The shanks of the Buff are bluish- white or flesh-color; 
those of the Slate are light or dark blue. 

ROUEN DUCKS. 

This breed is supposed to have originated from the 
common wild duck. They are greatly admired on account of 
their changeable colors, with the beautiful markings of the 
Mallard, the fine close plumage, the rich purple upon the 
wing of the drake, the delicate pencilings upon his sides, the 



BREEDS. 69 

claret color of his breast, the green and blue reflections of his 
head and the lustrous green of his back. The color of the 
female is in general grayish brown with more or less green. 
Well fattened, the Rouens are excellent for the table, 
and hence a profitable market duck. Young Rouens grow 
very rapidly, and pay well for market, when turned off at an 
early age; are good layers of large-sized eggs, are very quiet 
and easy to raise. Pekin and Rouen ducks can be raised 




■Al-TC XHJUH.IN U 



UCKS. 



without either streams or ponds, provided they have plenty 
of drinking water; and a tub or half barrel sunk in the 
ground will give them great comfort. The shanks are of a 
bright orange color. The mature bird weighs more than the 
Pekin, but does not gain as rapidly while young. 

AYLESBURY DUCKS. 

This breed is largely raised in England for young 
market ducks. It attains a large size early and its pure 
white plumage brings a ready sale for it. When full grown 
it is larger than the Pekin. The bill should be pale flesh 
color with no dark spots and the shanks and toes, bright 
orange. The body is long and well balanced. Where it can 
have plenty of clear water so as to keep clean, it is pretty. 



70 



LLOYD'S MODERN POULTRY BOOK. 



It is in some respects the most profitable duck for market, 
as it is better flavored than the Pekin. 

CAYUGA DUCKS. 

This popular variety originated on Cayuga Lake, from 
whence its name, and was originally a wild duck frequenting 
this lake. In the juiciness and richness of its flesh it par- 




PAIR CAYUGA DUCKS. 

takes of that peculiar game flavor which distinguishes the 
Canvasback. The plumage of this duck should be a jet 
glossy black, the feathers of the drake having a lustrous 
greenish hue in the sunshine, which gives him a peculiarly 
rich appearance. The Cayugas are very quiet in their habits, 
and are not disposed to wander from home. They generally 
commence laying about the first of April, and lay from sixty 
to seventy eggs before wishing to sit, which they do well, 
but are careless mothers. They are hardy, and cross well 
with other ducks. The standard weight of the drake is 
eight pounds, and that of the duck seven. 



13KEEDS. 71 

CKESTED WHITE DUCKS. 

This breed is pure white and has a large, well- balanced 
crest which makes them very attractive. They are very pro- 
lific layers and their eggs unusually fertile. They are a little 
smaller than most of the other breeds. 

MUSCOVY DUCKS. 

These in their wild state were originally found in South 
America. In their native state they are glossy black with 




CEESTED WHITE DUCKS. 

white wing coverts. They have a naked red face and a large 
red carbuncle on the top of the bill at the base, and long, 
crest-like feathers on the head. They have a musky odor 
(whence their name) which has almost disappeared in the 
tame duck. There are two varieties in domestication, the 
Colored — the plumage of which is black with more or less 
white feathers; and the White — pure white throughout. 
They are very savage, driving all other fowls away, and are 
very homely looking. They are the largest of the duck 
family kept in domestication. 

PEKIN DUCKS, 

as their name indicates, come from China. They are a 
large, beautiful bird of erect carriage. The plumage is pure 



72 



LLOYD'S MODERN POULTRY ROOK. 



white outside. The inside feathers are slightly cream- 
colored. The neck is long- and gracefully curved, the 
head long and finely shaped, the eye full and bright. 




PEKIN DRAKE. 

The legs and beak are a very dark orange, making a 
fine contrast with the pure white feathers. The mature 
drake should weigh eight pounds, the mature duck 
seven. As bred by Mr. Rankin, a pair dressed often weighs 
twenty pounds at maturity. They lay early and pro- 
duce more eggs than any other breed. They mature early, 
are hardy, domestic in their habits, do not wander far and 



BREEDS. 73 

return to their coops at night. They are not mischievous, 
require less water than other breeds, and their feathers sell 
at a good price. 

To Stop a Stampede.— Pekin ducks are very timid. This 
sometimes causes trouble when they are closely confined in 
large numbers. When six or eight weeks old, or even after 
they are grown, they often get frightened dark nights. 
Being unable to see, one bird will touch another, it will 
spring away and touch several more. In an instant the 
whole flock are in commotion and treading upon each other. 
There will be a perfect stampede, sometimes kept up the 
whole night. After such a worrying night many of the birds 
will be all tired out. and some of them unable to get up. If 
this disturbance continues — good-bye to all fattening of the 
birds or any laying. If there is no moon, hanging lanterns 
about the yards will bring order and quiet! 

CALL DUCKS. 

There are two varieties of the Call — the White, which 
resembles the Aylesbury in color, except the bill is bright 
yellow, and the Gray, which resembles the Rouen. Both are 
small and kept chiefly for ornamentation in the lakes of 
parks or the lawns of private residences. 

BLACK EAST INDIAN DUCKS. 

This is the smallest variety of domesticated ducks. Al- 
though the flesh is of fine flavor, they are especially valued 
for the pleasing appearance of their brilliant greenish black 
plumage. 

EMBDEN GEESE. 

These and the Toulouse are the two largest and most 
profitable breeds of geese, and many consider them as the 
only ones for practical purposes. The Embden takes its 
name from a town in Germany. Their pure white plumage 
makes them especially valuable where feathers are an ob- 
ject. The flesh is very tender and juicy and highly esteemed 
by epicures, being likened to that of the Canvasback duck. 
They mature earlier than the Toulouse, but the standard 
weight is the same, twenty-five pounds for the gaader. 



74 



Lloyd's modern poultry book. 



TOULOUSE GEESE. 

This breed is probably the best known of geese. They 
take their name from a town on the Garonne r,v*r in 
France. The plumage of the head, neck and back is 
dark gray, that of the breast and body light gray, shading 
into white on the belly. They are very hardy and are pro- 
lific layers, not being very good sitters. They are more 




PAIR TOULOUSE GEESE. 

easily kept without a pond of water than the Embden and 
also with care can be made to weigh more. 

AFRICAN GEESE. 

The plumage of the African is gray, varying in shade on 
different parts of the body, They have a large black knob 
and a fleshy membrane under the throat. The neck is long 
and well curved but does not have the graceful arch of the 
swan. 

EGYPTIAN GEESE. 

This is the smallest of domesticated geese and is alsc 



iBftEEDS. 75 

very prolific. The plumage of head, neck, back and upper 
part of bodv is gray and black; the breast is chestnut in 
center and gray elsewhere, the under part of the body is pale 
yellow penciled with black, the shoulders are white with a 
narrow stripe of black. 

CHINESE GEESE. 

These are, as their name indicates, natives of China. 
Although they possess much merit, they are kept principally 
for ornamental purposes. Their swan-like, arched necks 
give them a graceful appearance in the water. They have a 
knob at base of bill. They lay large litters of eggs twice or 
thrice a year. There are two varieties, the Brown and the 
White — very similar except in color. The plumage of ths 
Brown is dark brown on head and back, and light or grayish 
brown on neck, breast and body; the knob and bill are dark 
brown or black; the shanks and toes are dark or dusky 
orange. The White has a pure white plumage throughout, 
which, together with their orange-colored knobs, bills and 
feet, makes them especially attractive. Their feathers, also, 
bring a high price. 

CANADA GEESE. 

This breed was formerly known as the Wild goose, being 
a domesticated variety of the Canadian goose. The plumage 
of the head, neck and tail is black, that of the back and 
wings dark gray, breast, light gray, growing darker toward 
the legs. Under part of body white. The neck is long and 
slender and the bill and legs black. 



CHAPTER II. 
CARE AND FEEDING OF POULTRY. 

It will not do to say "provide for poultry as nature 
provides for them," for their conditions and surroundings 
in domestication are different from what they are in their 
wild state. Notwithstanding* this there is a right and 
a wrong way to treat poultry if we expect them to do their 
best and give a money return for their keep. First, they 
should not be exposed to all sorts of weather with no chance 
to escape from its bad effects. Shelter from storm and damp 
and shade from sun should be given. They should have clean 
quarters, be provided pure water and wholesome food and be 
afforded opportunity to take care of themselves as nature 
dictates. 

All these requirements may be met, without great money 
outlay for expensive buildings or elaborate furnishings. The 
locality and the object for which fowls are kept must largely 
determine the style of buildings provided and food furnished. 
In a warm climate the houses need furnish no more than a 
shelter from rain and wind and a shade from the sun. The 
food should be determined upon by the result wished and 
the cost, always seeking a ration that meets the require- 
ments at the least expense. As an aid in determining the 
latter we give a table on the following page from Wright's 
Illustrated Book of Poultry, showing the value of vari- 
ous feeding stuffs for feed. Though the table may not be 
strictly correct as determined by chemical analysis, it gives 
the relative feeding value of the substances named. In mak- 
ing up rations the elements of "relish" by the fowl and the 
ability of assimilating must be taken into account as well as 
"value." 

Provided with such shelter as the climate and locality 



CARE AND FEEDING. 



77 



demand, the next thing needed is to keep it clean. If the 
fowls are kept yarded the inclosure must also be kept clean 
and healthful by frequently stirring the soil or by a supply 
of fresh mold or an absorbent of some kind. Have the floor 
of the house dry some way, and if the yard is drained, it w r ill 
be all the better; it at least must be free of standing, stag'- 
nant water. If the shelter is all right and the fowls have a 
wide range they will look out for themselves, with much 
less work on the part of their owner, who will have only to 
see that lime, grit, dust and pure water are where the}' can get 
them. Of course, the nature of the range will determine whether 
green food or meat should be provided. If the range be a solid 
rock or a sand-hill, even though a quarter section in extent, 
the fowls would have to be given some green stuff. 



There are in every 

100 parts by 

weight of 

Beans and Peas 

Oatmeal 

Middlings 

Oats 

Wheat 

Buckwheat 

Barley 

Indian Corn 

Hempseed 

Rice 

Potatoes 

Milk 






j Warm th -giving 
land Fattening 
(Materials, viz. 



Fat or 
Oil. 



Starch. 



3H 

a* a 

v <v a> 
a e c 



25 

18 
18 
15 
12 
12 
11 
11 
10 
7 

4# 



2 

6 
6 
6 
3 

6 

2 

8 

21 

a trace 



2 
5 

2 
2 

IX 
2 

1 
2 

trace 
2 



15 
9 
14 
10 
12 

UK 
11 

10 

8 
13 

50K 
86% 



Although fowls on a free range will "take care of them- 
selves" at much less cost, in money and labor, to their owner, 
it does not prove that they will be more profitable to him 
if allowed free range onty, for in these days of specialties 
the successful poultry-keeper must feed for a special purpose. 
The free range fowl will be a healthy one, but the poultry- 
man who makes the most money these days must add to 
health some other quality, and his success depends on know^ 



78 LLOYD'S MODERN POULTRY BOOK. 

ing how to feed and to care for his flock so as to keep health, 
and gain his special point, too. His "point"' may be eggs, 
and eggs alone; it may be early marketable chickens, heavy 
weight and a fat carcass, or health and vigor of breeding 
stock and progeny. In each case the feeding and manage- 
ment differ; except in the latter case, there is a choice of 
breeds for the best results. 

One advantage the poultry-keeper has over the keeper of 
animals for profit is, fowls are omnivorous — eat everything, 
excelling even swine in this. This fact should teach every 
one that a constant feeding of one grain or one vegetable or 
one animal substance will not produce the best results. Yet 
there are scores and hundreds of farmers who throw out corn, 
and corn alone, to their fowls from December to April and 
then declare that ' 'hens eat their heads off every winter. ' ' This 
omnivorous quality of fowls gives the poultry-keeper the op- 
portunity of making up a ration of the foods at his command 
that will produce the result sought. The far-back parents of 
our domestic fowls mixed their meat and vegetables as 
gathered on the range; the successful poultry -keeper of to- 
day must mix them for his fowls to reach the end sought at 
the least cost. Variety is the "spice" in a fowl's food. In 
selecting and mixing the "variety" we are governed more by 
our surroundings than by choice. The farmer of the West will 
continue to use all the corn he can consistently with a good 
ration, while the New Englander near the seaboard will feed 
all the fish consistent with good results. 

Whatever the ration, wholesomeness must be kept in 
mind. Moldy corn, rotten potatoes and putrid flesh are not 
wholesome, although fowls will eat them. Perhaps the 
theory advanced by some that the gizzard removes the ob- 
jectional features of such feed is correct, but our experience 
teaches us the flavor, color and quality of eggs are affected 
by feed. This being the case it does not seem reasonable 
that all impurities are removed from food by being passed 
through a hen's gizzard. Experience also teaches that fowls 
have sickened and died when no cause but improper food 
could be found. It is safer not to take chances anyway, and it 
js much pleasanter, to say the least, to eat eggs and poultry 



CARE AND FEEDING. 79 

not produced from offal, carrion or rotten grain. With 
the majority of poultry-keepers, grain constitutes the 
principal part of their feeding ration, at least in money 
value. Of the 

GRAIN 

used in this country probably Indian corn outweighs the rest. 
It is fed whole, cracked, ground, raw or cooked. Refer- 
ring to the table, on page 77. it will be seen corn contains very 
little bone-forming material, while it is very rich in fat- 
forming and warmth-giving substances. Although corn pro. 
duces eggs with yolks of dark color and rich flavor, it is not 
recommended for layers unmixed with other grains. For 
fattening purposes it can not be excelled and should be fed 
in various forms to keep up the appetite. The "variety" may 
be increased if some meal is made by grinding the corn and 
cob together. , 

Oats are a good nerve food and are not fattening, but their 
sharpness is an objection to them, as is the amount of waste 
or useless matter in the husks, especially in poor, light grain. 
The first objection may be removed by grinding them very 
fine, but this is difficult to do. Oatmeal is an excellent food 
but is rather expensive. If oats are to be fed whole or 
ground husk and all, the heavier they are the cheaper. Fort}' 
pound oats contain but little if any more weight of husks 
than twenty-eight or thirty pound oats. Very light or small 
oats will often not be eaten unless they are soaked and made 
larger. This does not add to their nourishment, but compels 
biddie to get out what little there is in them. If hens that 
should lay are too fat, a diet of oats will reduce the fatness 
Ground oats and boiled potatoes make an excellent food for 
producing fertile eggs and vigorous chickens. 

Wheat and its by-products, screenings, bran and mid- 
dlings, may form a part of an economical ration in many parts 
of our country, though wheat itself is rather expensive. If 
screenings are used they should be fed raw so the fowls will 
not be compelled to eat the dust, poisonous seeds and other 
foulness contained in them. Moistened bran is apt to 
produce scours, especiall}' during the winter, and if fed at all 
should be alternated with whole grain. Though wheat is 



80 LLOYD'S MODERN POULTRY BOOK. 

rich in material for growth, easy of digestion and stimulates 
egg production, it should be fed less freely than corn, as too 
much of it produces diarrhea. 

In regions where corn can not be successfully grown and 
barley may, the latter can be used as a very fair substitute; 
though all that is eaten does not seem to be digested, fowls 
will thrive on it for a while and it may be used in the make- 
up of a ration where raised or procured at a reasonable price. 
There is little value in barley malt; it must be fed fresh. If 
used too freely it scours. 

In this country buckwheat is fed more to make a glossy 
plumage than as a staple part of the ration. It is very fat- 
tening, and in France where largely used it is said to be 
valuable in whitening the flesh. The yolks of eggs produced 
from it are pale. Sunflower seeds are also good for giving a 
glossy plumage and a few fed occasionally whet the appetite. 

We have never been able to induce our fowls to eat 
whole rye, so consider it of no value as "chicken feed." Of 
course when eaten it has some value, but we should never 
buy any and try to worry it down our flock for the sake of 
"variety." Rye feed or bran, mixed with oat or corn meal 
and moistened, might help to cheapen a ration under some 
circumstances. It should not be fed alone as it may cake in 
the crop and produce death. 

Millet and Hungarian on account of their small size arc 
very nice grains for young chicks and where raised or when 
reasonable in price may help make up the variety in the 
ration of fowls. 

In the rice-growing States, that grain is often the cheapest 
feed that can be procured. This is especially so when broken, 
or dirty or discolored from wetting. It is claimed to be 
better than corn meal for young chickens. In India it is 
much used for fattening poultry. It produces white flesh. 

After grains, it is an open question whether green food in 
the shape of grasses and herbs or animal food in the form of 
insects comes next in the bill of fare of birds, from which our 
poultry is derived, in their wild or native state, but we are 
inclined to the belief that 



CAKE AND FEEDING. 81 

ANIMAL FOOD 

stands first, so place that next in our list of foods for 
poultry. When insects are abundant and fowls have a large, 
free range they can generally help themselves to about all 
they wish, but when con lined and during the winter, animal 
food must be supplied by the keeper if had at all. Even 
when on the range there are some drawbacks, as certain 
classes of bugs with hard hooks on their legs are disastrous to 
young poultry; the hooks fasten to each other and to the crop, 
causing a fatal distension of that organ. Another drawback is 
the liability of the fowls eating poisonous bugs and vermin. 
Again, some breeds are not good enough foragers to get suf- 
ficient k 'meat" to do their best for their owners. And unless 
the range is very large the best foragers are curtailed in their 
operations. 

If one were to follow the course of nature and furnish 
poultry the form of animal food they most prefer and than 
which there is probably nothing better he would give them 
worms and maggots. These may be bred and fed in their 
prime; being easily digested they are peculiarly fitted for 
supplying young chickens with animal food. The breeding 
places of such food as are offensive to the nostrils should be 
located at some distance from the house. In summer time 
expose a quantity of fresh bones to the flies for a day or so, 
then cover them lightly with fresh mold and in two or three 
days there will be thousands of worms ready for the fowls. 
The carcass of any animal either whole or in large pieces 
hung up out of reach or slightly buried will furnish 
plenty of maggots. Blood procured from slaughter-houses, 
exposed to blow flies and then lightly covered with manure, 
will produce large white worms in abundance. Other ways of 
obtaining these delicacies for poultry will suggest themselves 
to him who wishes to minister to the wants of his pets or 
mone3 r -makers. For little chicks there is probably no easier, 
surer way of providing good, wholesome, palatable live animal 
food than furnishing them meal or flour worms, which may be 
done as readily in winter as in summer if the hatchery is 
kept in a warm place. As a starter, get a few hundred 
worms from a baker, miller or any one else who has flour 



82 LLOYD'S MODERN POULTRY BOOK. 

stored in quantities. Place the worms in a crock or other 
earthen vessel with odd bits of woolen cloth rubbed with tal- 
low, crumpled paper and other refuse mixed with musty meal 
or flour. Over all put some gauze cloth or cotton waste, which 
must be kept moist. In a couple of months there will be a sup- 
ply that may be drawn upon daily if the feeding stuffs are re- 
newed from time to time. If chickens are raised in large 
numbers and it is desired to supply them with flour worms, 
the size or number of the propagating "house" can be in- 
creased. The hatchery for worms may be set going before 
the incubator or biddie; then there will be no waiting for a 
supply of insects when the chicks are ready for them. 

Without doubt the cheapest and pleasantest way, in the 
majority of cases in this country, of supplying animal food to 
poultry is by furnishing them meat in some form. For small 
flocks, table scraps will generally furnish enough, but where 
fowls are kept in any number a given amount should be pro- 
vided. An ounce a day per adult fowl of ordinary size is con- 
sidered about right. The large Asiatics need a little more. 
Mr. A. W. Kinney, Yarmouth, Nova Scotia, is an extremist 
in meat feeding, and, if it were not for getting his hens too 
fat, would probably feed them meat exclusively. He, in 
theory, thinks a varied ration is nonsense, but in practice 
he gives a mixed ration. When his hens are moulting he 
feeds more than half a pound of meat a day per hen. When 
his flock consists of hens, through moulting, and young 
pullets he feeds fifty pounds a day to 200 fowls, and thinks 
that hardly enough. He uses cows' heads, boils them till the 
meat all slips off, then runs it through a cutter and mixes 
with ground grain — one pound of grain to five of the meat. 
This makes about the right composition. The hens are 
watched; so is the mixture. If too much grain, they pick out 
the meat and leave the grain; if too much meat, it will pack 
down and they will not eat as much as he thinks they ought 
to have. To still more vary their ration, he cuts up the bone 
and feeds that for a day or two after feeding the meat for 
some days. Mr. Kinney says he has "some Light Brahma 
hens that will take a pound of meat each day for weeks, and 
not wink at it, but rather look around for several ounces 



CARE AND FEEDING. 83 

more before roosting- time.'' But they get so fat they will 
not lay. He says "a hen will grow fat very much quicker on 
meat than on corn." 

Other good feeders claim that meat should be chopped or 
minced, so each fowl gets its proportionate share. We are a 
great believer in exercise and we as often feed meat to our 
flock in large pieces as minced, as it causes the fowls to work 
more for what they get. The effort in getting it off and the ex- 
ercise taken in chasing one who has a piece that can be carried 
aloft in the beak, is beneficial, we think. The same end is 
reached by hanging a pluck just high enough to make a fowl 
jump to reach it. Meat furnished by means of cows' heads 
and sheep's heads, uncooked, gives exercise. Where large flocks 
of poultry are kept the heads are often boiled and the liquor 
used in making mush for the fowls. In this case the meat 
may be chopped and fed separately or as an ingredient of 
the mush. It goes without saying that fresh meat and not 
putrid is the proper kind to feed. For little chicks we should 
mince the meat, whether fed raw or cooked. Do not feed 
too much to chicks. 

The question as to which is the most economical way to 
provide the meat will present itself to each pou.tryman, and 
he must solve it as his circumstances, surroundings and judg- 
ment compel. Some may be able to get butchers' waste — 
plucks of calves, sheep, hogs and cattle; or, perhaps, only 
the lungs. If not cooked, or fed in large chunks, these may 
be run through a sausage-chopper. In dairy regions, where 
the young calves are sold for about what their skins are 
worth, a good supply can be had cheaply for large flocks. In 
cities or villages enough may be had for ordinary flocks from 
the local marketmen — the trimmings made on the block and 
counter. Before the introduction of machines for pulping 
green bone we used to procure such at fifty cents per hun- 
dred pounds, from a near marketman. After the fowls had 
cleaned off the meat we gathered the bones and used them as 
fertilizer. Now, with a green bone cutter, the whole mass 
— bones, gristle, fat and lean— may be put in the best of shape 
to have the fowls consume it all. And the ; 'all" is a most 
excellent food. 



$4 Lloyd's modern poultry book. 

Milk is an animal food and one of the best for young 
chicks. It is not probable that much whole milk will be fed, 
but skim milk may be made as good, practically, for feeding- 
purposes, by the addition of a little tallow or other fat. 

Fish, flesh and fowl are usually considered enough alike 
to be substituted one for the other, in ordinary households; 
so, in the ordinary poultry-yard that is situated near the 
sea, fish is considered a cheap substitute for flesh; but there 
is one drawback — most people prefer their roast duck or 
broiled chicken to have a fowl taste, not a fish, and fish do 
flavor fowl when fed to them in excess. Some claim that the 
fish taste will not be present if the use of fish as feed is dis- 
continued for five or six weeks before killing the fowl. Eggs 
are also flavored, which precludes the feeding of much fish 
to laying hens. If fish are fed raw they should be chopped 
up and a little salt and pepper added. If boiled, they may 
be thrown out whole. Never feed stale fish. Where clams 
are plenty and cheap they may be crushed fine, shells and all, 
and fed either raw or cooked. After feeding meat in chunks, 
or whole fish, all refuse should be gathered and consigned to 
the compost heap. 

GREEN FOOD. 

If any one doubts that fowls need or relish some vege- 
table in their diet let him turn a flock from confinement in 
bare quarters onto a plat of grass; even though there may be 
corn in abundance in plain view, they will tumble over that 
and each other in their haste and eagerness to get a nip of 
the grass. Where abundance of range can be had, the cheap- 
est, best way to furnish green stuff is to let the fowls 
help themselves to what grass they wish. It is claimed that 
ten geese require as much pasture as a cow, and two hundred 
liens will consume or destroy the grass on an acre of ground. 
At any rate, it is a fact that where poultry is kept iu large 
numbers green stuff must be furnished them, or the buildings 
will be so far apart as to add so much to the labor of caring 
for them that the profits will be reduced, or else the poultry 
will not do their best. In short, the poultry -keeper must 
supply green vegetable food to his flock, if confined, or if 
very large, if he means to make money from them. If he is 



CARE AND FEEDING. 85 

keeping- them for pleasure he needs to, that they may be 
healthy, pretty and spry. How shall this be done? Grass 
and clover stand first as regards cheapness and ease of sup- 
plying- in summer, and if cut at the right stage and cured 
properly they make good winter feed. Green corn and young 
grain, cabbage, lettuce and fruits, come next for summer 
food. The vegetables, turnips, beets, potatoes, carrots, come 
in well for winter feed as do cabbages and apples. Geese 
will do well upon a ration composed almost wholly of grass 
— fowls do not do as well if their ration is principally grass 
or other green food. Some is necessary to good health; too 
much is not conducive to their best welfare. If fowls have 
not been accustomed to green food, especially in the winter 
time, they may be taught to eat it by mixing it with their 
meal, at first. But if given them in cabbages they will 
hardly need to be tanght. Loose heads, buried in the fall, 
will be much firmer when taken out in the winter or spring. 
Hay made from nice grass or clover may be made nearly as 
palatable as when fresh, by running it through a cutter and 
then scalding or steaming. The same end may be accom- 
plished with less work with silage. The refuse of the vege- 
table garden, pea vines and corn husks, may be run throug-h 
a cutter and put into a silo and used in winter. Whatever 
is cheapest and handiest is the "what" to use, but be sure and 
use something. If turnips are used they should be chopped 
up fine. Kohl-rabi and other tender vegetables will be 
readily eaten if they are simply cut in two and placed where 
the fowls can get at them. In winter, when the flock is the 
least able to supply itself with green food, is when most 
farmers fail to provide it. A little thoughtfulness and time 
in the summer and fall will procure an abundant supply for 
what fowls are kept on the ordinary farm. If no provision 
has been made, at least a little hay or a few corn-stalks 
should be run through a cutter and thrown to the fowls two 
or three times a week. 

Young onion tops chopped fine are excellent for young 
chicks. If to be sold as broilers the onions should be with- 
held a while before killing, as they impart a flavor to the 
flesh that those who prefer to do their own seasoning do not 



86 Lloyd's modern poultry book. 

relish. Dandelion leaves are relished by young turkeys, and 
apples may be chopped and given to geese; hens will take 
care of apples that are not very hard — harvest apples, for in- 
stance — without any preparation, except placing them within 
their reach. Young and tender weeds, fresh-cut sods, lawn 
clippings and ears of corn in the milk or doug-h all give green 
food in the summer that is relished by poultry. 

COOKED FOOD. 

No one disputes the fact that birds of all species in their 
wild state take their food, be it grain, animal or vegetable, 
in a raw state — in a wild state for that matter; but our 
poultry has been bred so far from their natural condition, 
and so much more is required of them in egg production, 
weight of carcass or early maturity, that they are called 
upon to live and work at high pressure, and must have their 
wants, abnormal though they be, supplied in keeping with 
the requirements. One way to do this is to cook part of their 
food; this alone adds variety if we use but one grain and feed 
part of it raw and part of it cooked. Fowls prefer some 
foods cooked rather than raw; others raw to cooked, and 
their preference should be consulted. Care must be used 
in feeding cooked food to laying or breeding stock, as it is 
more fattening than raw food. In cold weather cooked food 
may be fed warm and is greatly relished. As cooked food is 
more easily digested than raw, it is best to feed raw grain at 
night, as the time till the morning feed is longer than be- 
tween the other feedings. Corn is an excellent evening meal 
and in winter it is well to warm it before feeding. 

The simplest way to cook poultry feed is to boil it. The 
grains — corn, wheat, buckwheat, rice — may be boiled or 
steamed. If boiled they should be kept from the bottom of 
the vessel by means of a perforated plate of sheet iron. Mush 
may be made from any of the grains ground and fed when 
fresh made or cold. If fed fresh be sure it is not too hot. 
Fowls have died from being fed food that was too hot. Beets, 
turnips, potatoes, pumpkins, may be boiled, mashed and a 
fine pudding made by thickening them with meal of any 
kind, bran or middlings, or a mixture of these. The pudding 



CARE AND FEEDING. 87 

will be more civilized if the vegetables are cleaned before 
being cooked. 

Whether cooked or raw, sloppy food is not recommended. 
Give solid food and drink, either milk or water, but do not 
compel the fowls to eat a lot of slop to get a little solid. 
Meals of various kinds, either singly or mixed, or mixed with 
bran or middlings, may be mixed with water or milk, a little 
salt added, and baked into cakes.. If water is used, the 
cake will be much lighter if some cheap baking powder is 
used. Sour milk and baking soda or saleratus will give much 
better satisfaction. Cornmeal cakes made this way, then 
moistened with sweet milk, make an excellent factor in the feed 
of young poultry. Where milk is fed in large quantities it 
is much better to scald it. If sour when fed to little chicks 
they will relish it much better, and will thrive better 
on it if it is heated enough to separate the whey from the 
curd, giving them the curd only. Beans and peas are hearty 
food; the former need to be cooked in order to have the 
fowls eat them; ground, the meal may be used in mush. Boiled 
whole, they may be thickened with meal of any kind. Where 
but a small number of poultry are kept on the farm or in the 
village, and there are not facilities for cooking, except on the 
kitchen stove, it is more than likely the cooked food given 
them will consist principally of mush or scalded meals. In 
this case the raw vegetables must not be omitted in winter. 
Where arrangements are such that the cooking may be done 
without interfering with the household arrangements, it will 
pay to cook some, even for a small flock. 

FEEDING FOR FRAME AND FLESH. 

When the chick comes from the shell, the first thing the 
owner wants of it is to grow — grow in frame and flesh. Then 
it must be fed for that. It will need no food for the first 
twenty-four hours; it carries the first day's supply with it 
from the egg that has nourished it during incubation. Yolk 
of egg being its infantile food it will be well to continue it a 
few days. Drop the yolks into boiling water, and when 
partly cooked mix with an equal quantity of bread crumbs 
or corn cake made as recommended above Where raised 



88 LLOYD'S MODERN POULTRY BOOK. 

in large numbers bread may be made from cheap flour 
and with less kneading than for household use. The longer 
the egg diet is continued the faster and stronger the chicks 
grow. One egg a day for six or eight will be enough at first; 
gradually increase the amount till at the end of three weeks 
two a day are fed to half a dozen chicks. Eggs that have 
been in the incubator for a few days and proved to be infer- 
tile will do good service in this way and should be saved for 
this purpose. 

The feeding should be at regular intervals, and for the 
first week once in two hours is proper. As they increase in 
age the number of feedings per day may be lessened till 
three times daily is reached. When three months old, four 
or nve,times a day is better than three. As they grow, and 
need more than the egg and crumbs, they should be fed the 
meal worms mentioned under animal food, or liver and other 
meat may be boiled and chopped very fine and given them. 
Also, cook coarse corn meal. For variety let them have some 
millet or hungarian seed, chopped grass, onion tops, boiled po- 
tatoes; as they get still larger, wheat, cracked corn and 
rice. When feathering-out time comes let them have bone 
meal, or pulped green bone and grissle. The bone meal may 
be mixed with the regular feed. Let them have a small, 
clean grit of some kind. And do not give all the skim-milk to 
the pigs. Fed sweet to the growing chicks it 'will bring a 
fair price per 100 pounds. If given all they want of it, they 
will need no water, except in warm weather. Give it then 
for their comfort. 

FEEDING FOR EGGS. 

Before our chicks reach the age at which the pullets will 
lay, the cockerels, unless reserved for breeders, should have 
been sold for broilers or spring chickens, or caponized. When 
the pullets are fed for egg production, two extremes in feed- 
ing are to be guarded against — too much and too little. Too 
much produces fat, and a fat hen will not lay — too little 
gives insufficient nourishment, and a weakly hen will do lit- 
tle laying. The amount fed is not the only thing to be con- 
sidered — the quality, as well, has something to do with the 



CARE AND FEEDING. 89 

laying, and the condition of the hen when through. The 
draft on her system is not slight, and the amount the hen eats 
to suppty this draft is great. The digestive organs are taxed 
to their utmost to take care of the extra feed, and the wise 
feeder will provide the ration that can be easily digested, so 
as to use all the surplus energy of the hen in producing eggs; 
not in taking care of whole corn as an entire ration. Give 
some corn, especially at night, but let the food be varied. 
Cooked or scalded meal and middlings, cooked and raw veg- 
etables — grass or hay steamed. Provide lime in some shape. 
Give ground bone; crushed oyster shells; a piece of lime daily 
in the drinking water; burned bone; refuse from mortar beds. 
All these will furnish lime, which, with that in the wheat 
that ought to be fed, will provide enough. If egg shells are 
fed they must be finely pulverized or the bens may form the 
egg-eating habit. 

Considering egg production for consumption (not hatch- 
ing) only, the hens may be stimulated somewhat by the use 
of cayenne pepper or other warming condiments. Some good 
feeders do not use condiments of any sort, unless salt may be 
classed as one. It in not a bad rule, if condiments are used, 
to season the food as you would for your own taste. Now, 
tastes differ, but the longer one uses condiments, the stronger 
or thicker he wishes them — follow the same plan with the. 
fowls. Always season with a little salt whether you believe 
in condiments or not. 

Rock salt, or salt that contains large crystals, should not 
be exposed so fowls can help themselves,^s they would be apt 
to help themselves to it for grit, and it would not take long 
for an injurious, if not fatal, amount to be swallowed. Ex- 
periment has shown that a quarter of a pound of salt may be 
fed to 100 hens each day without injurious effects, after they 
have been fed a smaller amount for some days previous. It 
is probable that an ounce a day for 100 mature fowls is about 
right for health and best results. Laying hens, especially 
those confined, should not be fed too much tallow. Experi- 
ment has proved that hens with oil meal instead of tallow in 
their rations laid a few more eggs; tallow is also deficient in 
nitrogen and the moulting season is delayed and prolonged. 



90 LLOYD'S MODERN POULTRY BOOK. 

A highly nitrogenous ration helps to early, speedy moulting. 
Give warm, clean quarters, variety in feed, pure water, grit 
and lime to young hens or pullets of a laying breed, and good 
eggs in abundance ought to be had. 

FEEDING FOR FAT. 

Food is not all that is needed to make fat fowls. The 
fowl must be well and well-fed up to time of being fed for 
fattening. To get the best return for food consumed the 
fowl should have obtained its growth before fattening be- 
gins. In fact, before this, one can hardly be said to be fat- 
tening the fowls, though in a well fowl all food that is di- 
gested goes toward frame or foundation for building fat 
upon. And if a fowl has not been well fed from the shell up, 
it never can be well fattened. The fat will be poor or the 
expense so great for getting on good fat that the fattener 
will be poor— in pocket from the transaction. 

Well-fed chicks of the large breeds will be ready for the 
fattening pen when four or five months old. Some cross-bred 
fowls will be ready for the pen earlier than this if properly 
fed. We say ready for the pen, because quiet and inactivity 
are conducive to the best results in "laying on fat, though 
the flavor of the flesh of fowls confined is not equal to that 
of those allowed to run at large. Put ten or a dozen in each 
pen, hens by themselves and cocks by themselves, putting 
together those in each case that have been accustomed to be- 
ing together. Have the coops warm and without perches; be 
sure they are clean, dry and kept free from vermin. They 
should be darkened* %t least part of the time. If in a dark- 
ened building that is enough; if not, a blanket may be 
thrown over the coops for two or three hours after each feed- 
ing. The ration must contain but few vegetables, and little 
green food or milk. The meat food should be largely fat, but 
this should not be fed in excess, as it may lessen the fine flavor 
of the flesh. The experience of Mr. Kinney contradicts the anti- 
meat theory, as he is able to lay on fat with lean meat alone. 
But this would not be an economical ration in most localities 
in our country where corn is recognized as the cheapest and 
best food for fattening purposes. This being so, the only 



CAKE AND FEEDING. 91 

thing- to be guarded against is too constant feeding of a uni- 
form ration. Vary the ration often enough to prolong the 
relish for feed and the power of digestion till the fowl has 
reached the highest possible point of profitable fatness. This 
may be done by changing from whole corn to meal, fed either 
raw or cooked. Oats and buckwheat may be fed as a change. 
But corn meal is the staple feed; the others, with cooked 
potatoes or other vegetables are used only to give variety. 
Let all be done that can be to keep up the appetite. A few 
hours' fast after first being put in their quarters will give a 
good send-off for their first meal, which should not be more 
than they will eat up clean. Let the morning meal be given 
as early as possible, then feed at intervals of four hours 
through the day, giving the last one late at night. A little salt 
and pepper may be used, also charcoal. Milk may be given 
as a urink or used in mixing the different meals. If care has 
been used in the feeding so that fat has been laid on with a 
good degree of success, the fowl may as well be killed and 
marketed as soon as it gets off its feed or when it begins to 
fall off. Unless turkeys are "crammed'' they should be fat- 
tened while allowed free range. Shut up those that are to be 
held for breeding purposes or for an aftercrop and feed the 
fattening ones at intervals of four hours through the day all 
they will eat up clean. Leave no food by them. 

HOW, WHEN AJSTD WHAT TO FEED. 

Birds in their wild state get their food slowly and a little 
at a time. It is well that fowls get their food the same way. 
It is not a good plan to have food before them all the while; 
so, excepting soft food, which may be given in troughs, it is 
best to scatter their grain rations among straw, leaves or in 
light soil and place their animal and green food ration where 
they can pick at them and gather what they want at leisure 
and with exercise. The V-shaped trough made of six-inch 
fencing, is all the utensil we consider necessary to feed from; 
if of dressed lumber it can be more readily kept clean. 

As to when to feed, breeders differ. Some claim that 
adult fowls should be fed three times daily; others hold that 
twice a day is enough. Both classes admit that the last feed 



92 LLOYD* S MODERN POULTRY BOOK. 

should be just before roosting- time. Young chickens ought 
to be fed at intervals of two hours at first. The period be- 
tween feedings may be lengthened till they are three months 
old, when three times are enough and if twice is enough for 
adults it is about time to break the "chicks" to that course 
too. If fed three times there is more danger of overfeeding 
than when fed twice, especially if on the range; and over- 
feeding is really more disastrous than underfeeding, as there 
is usually a chance to more or less supplement the short feed. 
To feed just the right amount is more important than the 
number of times at which it should be given. 

The "what" to feed has already been discussed and 
answered. Feed a variety — grain, green food and animal 
food. Feed some of each every day. Because this is accom- 
plished where the small flock is kept and given the table 
scraps accounts for so many "best egg records" being made 
by a small number of hens. Multiplied by hundreds, in 
theory the results should be increased just as many fold. In 
most cases this does not prove true, because the same variety 
js not maintained, though the same care otherwise is given. 
As has already been stated, there is one other element be- 
sides "variety" entering the answer to what shall be fed — 
and that is cost of rations. Feed variety at the least outlay, 
quality considered. These two elements open up a wide 
range for the ingenuity, thought and judgment of the 
feeder. 



CHAPTER III. 

DRESSING AND SHIPPING POULTRY. 

Poultry should be kept without food or water twenty- 
four hours before killing for market; full crops injure the 
appearance and are liable to sour, and when this occurs, cor- 
respondingly lower prices must be accepted than obtainable 
for choice stock. Never kill poultry by wringing the neck. 
The demands of various markets vary a little in the man- 
ner of dressing poultry, and in preparing it for market, the 
custom of the market to which one is to ship should be 
followed. 

CHICKENS FOR CHICAGO. 

Kill* by bleeding in the mouth or opening the veins of the 
neck; hang by the feet until properly bled. This is best done 
as recommended in directions for dressing capons. Leave 
head and feet on; do not remove intestines nor crop. Scalded 
chickens sell best to home trade, and dry picked best to ship- 
pers, so that either manner of dressing will do if properly 
done. For scalding chickens the water should be as near 
the boiling point as possible, without boiling; pick the legs 
dry before scalding; hold the fowl by the head and legs and 
immerse and lift up and down three times (if the head is im- 
mersed it turns the color of the comb and gives the eyes a 
shrunken appearance, which leads buyers to think the fowl 
has been sick); the feathers and pin-feathers should then be 
removed immediately, very cleanly and without breaking the 
skin; then "plump" by dipping ten seconds in water, nearly 
or quite boiling hot, then immediately into cold water; hang 
in a cool place until the animal heat is entirely out of the 
body. To dry pick chickens properly, the work should be 
done while the chickens are bleeding; do not wait and let the 
bodies get cold. Dry picking is much more easily done while 



94 LLOYD'S MODERN POULTRY BOOK. 

the bodies are warm. Be careful and do not break or tear 
the skin. 

TURKEYS FOR CHICAGO. 

Observe the same directions as are given for preparing 
chickens, but always dry pick. Dry picked turkeys always 
sell best and command better prices than scalded lots, as the 
appearance is brighter and more attractive. Endeavor to 
market all old and heavy gobblers before January 1, as after 
the holidays the demand is for small fat hen turkeys only, 
old toms being sold at a discount to canners. 

DUCKS AND GEESE FOR CHICAGO 

should be scalded in water of the temperature as for other 
kinds of poultry, but it requires more time for the water to 
penetrate and loosen the feathers. Some parties advise after 
scalding, to wrap them in a blanket for the purpose of steam- 
ing, but they must not be left in this condition long enough 
to cook the flesh. Two or three minutes is the time recom- 
mended. Do not undertake to dry pick geese and ducks just 
before killing for the sake of saving the feathers, as it causes 
the skin to be very much inflamed, and is a great injury to 
the sale. Do not pick the feathers off the head; leave the 
feathers on for two or three inches on the neck. Do not 
singe the bodies to remove down or hair, as the heat from 
the flames will give them an oily and unsightly appearance. 
After they are picked clean they should be held in scalding 
water about ten seconds for the purpose of plumping, and 
then rinsed off in clean cold water. Fat, heavy stock is 
always preferred. 

CAPONS FOR CHICAGO. 

Capons are dressed in a manner peculiar to themselves. 
When the dressing-place is selected, drive two spikes about 
a foot apart in a beam overhead. Then make two loops of 
strong string, each long enough to hold one leg of the capon, 
and when hung from the nails above let the bird hang low 
enough to make picking handy. Have a weight of two or 
three pounds with a hook attached. When the bird is killed 
fasten the hook into his lower jaw to hold him steady 
while picking. 



DRESSING AND SHIPPING. 95 

When you are ready to kill your capon, catch him, and if 
his feet are soiled wash them, then suspend him by the two 
legs from the nooses. Take hold of his head, and with a 
small sharp knife cut the vein at back of throat, through the 
mouth. Never do this from the outside. As soon as you cut 
the vein, run point of knife through the roof of mouth into 
the bi*ain. As soon as the knife enters the brain, the bird 
loses all sense of feeling. Begin plucking at once. 

When the plucking begins is when the "dress" of the 
capon begins to show itself. The feathers are left on the 
wing up to the second joint. The head and hackle feathers, 
also those on the legs half way up the drum-sticks, with all 
the tail-feathers, including those a little way up the back, 
and the long ones on the hips close to the tail, are left on. 

This manner of dressing, with the peculiar looking head, 
are the distinguishing features of capons, which enable them 
to be readily identified among a host of other fowls. The 
plumage being heavier than that of cockerels, and the small- 
ness of the comb and wattles, which stopped growing as 
soon as caponizing was performed, prevents the palming off 
of any cockerels as capons by evil-disposed persons, even 
should the style of dressing be copied. 

Care should be taken that the capon is not torn in pluck- 
ing; when this is completed wash the head and mouth well 
with cold water, being careful to remove all blood. When 
cool they are ready to pack for shipping — for some markets 
they must be drawn before packing. 

When capons are to be drawn, have a table the right 
height to work at handily, and on it have a frame made like 
a small box with the cover and two ends knocked out. Take 
the weight off, and put the bird, back down, in the frame. 
Cut carefully around the vent and pull out the intestines. 
When the end of the intestine is reached, put your fingers up 
in the fowl and break it off, leaving everything else in. 
There will be considerable fat around the opening made; this 
should be slightly turned outward; it will soon cool, become 
hard, and add to the rich appearance of the bird. Now hang 
the bird in a clean cool place till thoroughly cold. 

When cold they are ready to pack. Have new boxes of a 



96 LLOYD 8 MODERN POULTRY BOOK. 

proper size for the number you wish to ship, but do not have 
the packages overly large; line them with clean, plain white 
or manilla paper, and pack the birds in solid, back up, but do 
not bruise them. Put paper over them, nail on the cover, 
and mark as directed under 

PACKING AND SHIPPING. 

Before packing and shipping, poultry should be thor- 
oughly dry and cold, but not frozen; the animal heat should 
be entirely out of the body; pack snugly in boxes or barrels, 
but use great care to avoid bruising the flesh or breaking any 
bones; boxes holding 100 to 200 pounds are preferable? 
straighten out the body and legs, so that they will not arrive 
very much bent and twisted out of shape; fill the packages as 
full as possible to prevent moving about on the way: barrels 
answer better for chickens and ducks than for turkeys or 
geese; weigh the package before packing; when convenient, 
avoid putting more than one kind in a package; if more than 
one kind in a package, mark kind and weight of each descrip- 
tion on the package; if but one kind in the package mark 
in plain figures on the cover the number and kind of birds 
within, the total weight of package and net weight; mark 
shipping directions, your name and address, plainly on the 
cover. They are then ready for transporting. Mark name 
and address of firm to which they are to go plainly on cover, 
and send full advice and invoice by first mail after the goods 
are shipped. 

THANKSGIVING DAY POULTRY. 

For a week previous to Thanksgiving Day a large trade 
is expected in turkeys in Chicago, and a few points in regard 
to this special week may not be amiss right here. In the 
first place take special care and ship only choice, large, well- 
fatted turkeys, weighing not less than ten pounds, and from 
that upwards. Small, light weights sell best around Christ- 
mas and after New Years. What merchants particularly re- 
quest is not to ship scalawag stock, as it is not 
wanted, and only very low prices will move it, and there is 
liable to be more or less dissatisfaction. Do not kill poor, 
thin turkeys. It will pay to hold such stock back until it 



DRESSING AND SHIPPING. 97 

acquires more flesh. Turkeys, too, should be dry picked; 
they have a better appearance and sell better for shipping- 
purposes than scalded. 

In the second place, do not wait till a day or two before 
Thanksgiving Day before sending- in the stock, expecting 
that the time to sell turkeys to the best advantage. Years 
of experience have taught merchants here that a week, even 
ten days, before Thanksgiving Day is very often the best 
time to have turkeys on the market, for the reason that ship- 
pers receive orders from all quarters and this stock must be 
bought and shipped in time to reach destination at least 
a day or two before Thanksgiving Day. This competition 
among shippers generally results in developing a strong 
market and high prices, while on Thanksgiving Day there is 
only the home demand to depend on, and the supply then in- 
variably exceeds the demand. Therefore, it is advisable to 
ship right along, and not have poultry intended for Thanks- 
giving Day trade come later than the Monday previous. Of 
course, should the weather be mild, exceptions should be 
taken to the above instructions, but if the weather is cold 
and favorable, ship right along. Remember, however, keep 
small, thin turkeys at home. Usually but few chickens are 
wanted, and better let some one else take the chances on 
shipping them, as they are usually a drug on Thanksgiving 
Da7. Ducks sell only moderately, and geese very slow. 

POULTRY FOR BOSTON. 

Boston is a good market for poultry that has been prop- 
erly prepared. If shippers desire to realize full market 
prices iop their consignments, they must see to it that their 
poultry is of the quality and in the condition to suit the best 
class of trade. 

The style of dressing for the Boston market differs from 
the Chicago style in that all poultry should be killed by 
bleeding in the neck, and picked while the body is warm; in 
no case should it be scalded; wet-picked poultry is not 
wanted in the Boston market, and will not sell for what it 
is really worth. 

As soon as the poultry is picked, take off the head at the 



98 LLOYD'S MODERN POULTRY BOOK. 

throat, strip the blood out of the neck, peel back the skin a 
little, remove a portion of the neck bone, then just before 
packing, except in warm weather, draw the skin over the 
end and tie and trim neatly. Draw the intestines, making 
the incision as small as possible, and leave the gizzard, 
heart and liver in. Pull out the wing and tail feathers clean. 
Undrawn poultry can be sold to a limited extent when 
there is no other to be had, provided there is no food in the 
crop or entrails, but as a rule it has to go at very low prices. 

GAME FOR BOSTON. 

Grouse and quail should be carefully wrapped in paper 
and packed in small boxes or barrels, with the heads down. 
Never in any case should the entrails be removed. Mark the 
number of grouse or dozen of quail on each package. 

PACKING FOR BOSTON. 

After the poultry is entirety cold sort it carefully, 
and have the No. 1 stock of uniform quality. Pack the No. 
2 stock in separate packages. If you have any old torn 
turkeys put them in a separate package or with the No. 2 
stock. Line the boxes with clean paper; never use straw in 
packing, and never wrap the birds in paper. Pack as closely 
as possible backs upward, legs out straight, and see that 
the boxes are so full that when the covers are nailed on, 
there can be no possibility of the contents shifting about. 
Boxes are the best packages, and should contain from 100 
to 200 pounds. The directions for marking and shipping 
given under Packing and Shipping, page 96, are applicable 
to the Boston market. 

the law. . 

The following law regulating the sale of dressed poultry 
in Massachusetts explains the why for some of the require- 
ments of the Boston market, and indicates the trouble or ex- 
pense a shipper causes his commission man by sending poul- 
try that is not dressed "according to law:" 

Sec. 1. No poultry, except it be alive, shall be sold or exposed 
for sale until it has been properly dressed, b} T the removal of the 
crop and entrails when containing food. 

Sec. 2. Whoever knowingly sells or exposes for sale poultry 



DRESSING AND SHIPPING. 99 

contrary to the provisions of Sec. 1 of this act, shall be punished 
by a fine of not less than five nor more than fifty dollars for each 
offense. The boards of health in the several cities and towns 
shall cause the provisions of this act to be enforced in their re- 
spective cities and towns. 

POULTRY FOR PHILADELPHIA 

should be fat. Do not send any poor birds there, no matter 
how high poultry is selling. Kill and dress as for the Chi- 
cago market, except both turkeys and chickens should al- 
ways be dry picked. To get the animal heat out hang up, 
heads down, for twelve or fifteen hours, or put in ice water 
long enough to make thoroughly cold, and then hang up till 
perfectly dry. Ducks and geese should be full feathered 
before killing. Turkeys and chickens that are very fat and 
handsome will command a little higher price. 

Best markets for poultry are Thanksgiving, Christmas 
and New Years. Care should be taken that poultry shipped 
for these special days arrive in sufficient time before 
the date to meet the best sale. Poultry that arrives too 
late generally meets a poor market. Turkeys will sell on 
either of these occasions, especially fat hens and young toms. 
After the holidays, small turkeys have the preference. 
Geese sell at Christmas, and fancy ducks sell well at any 
time. Ship capons in cold weather only. 

We again say, use great care in selecting, dressing and 
packing. A handsome appearance is in all cases worth one 
to two cents per pound in selling. There is nearly always a 
large supply of poultry during Thanksgiving week, and buy- 
ers having knowledge of the fact naturally pick out the best 
stock to the neglect of poorly dressed, which must then be 
sacrificed for what it will bring, and the commission men 
can assure you it is not pleasant to have shipments of that 
kind. 

PACKING FOR PHILADELPHIA. 

The general directions for packing, marking and ship- 
ping apply to poultry designed for Philadelphia. We mention 
the following as specially applicable to that market: 

For turkeys and geese, boxes are best, although large 
barrels may be used by experienced packers. Use clean pack- 



100 LLOYD'S MODERN POULTRY BOOK. 

ages, and paper or clean, dry straw free from dust. Place a 
layer of clean straw at the bottom, then alternate layers of 
poultry and brown paper or good, clean straw; stow each bird 
snugly, back upward, legs out straight, and fill the package 
so full that the cover will draw down tight and snug upon 
the contents to prevent shifting and shucking while in transit. 
Barrels are better for chickens and ducks, and these may be 
assorted and tied up in pairs. 

GAME FOR PHILADELPHIA. 

Prairie chickens and quails should be packed in boxes 
with holes in them; the former ten to twenty pairs in each, 
and the latter ten to twelve dozen. Neither should be 
drawn; the feathers should be smoothed down; pack with 
breasts up. Rabbits and hares should have the entrails re- 
moved. Genuine wild turkeys bring good prices at the holi- 
days, and should have the feathers left on. Whole deer 
should have the liver and lungs removed, or allowance 
must be made in the weight for them. Saddles should be 
sewed in clean cloth in order to keep them in good order. 

POULTRY FOR NEW YORK. 

Poultry of any description for this market may be 
scalded or dry picked, but it sells quicker dry picked. It 
must be undrawn and heads and feet on. 

POULTRY' FOR MINNEAPOLIS. 

Poultry for Minneapolis, Minn., maybe dressed, packed 
and shipped as for the Chicago market, except that chickens 
and fowls should have their heads cut off after plucking, 
leaving the necks of the birds as long as possible. If fowls 
are well fatted, the trade does not object to taking them if 
scalded, at same value as dry picked. Turkeys should be dry 
picked. No objections to tip of wing feathers being left on 
the birds. The trade has been educated gradually to take 
undrawn stock, and it is now preferable to drawn stock. 

POULTRY' FOR ST. LOUIS, MO., 

must be drawn; heads and feet off. Capons are not yet 
received at this market. Game should also be drawn in 
warm weather, undrawn in cold. Rabbits drawn all seasons. 



DRESSING A.ND SHIPPING. 101 

PACKING BEOILEES FOE MAEKET. 

Before packing broilers in barrels for shipment to market 
precaution to remove all animal heat must be taken. It may 
be done by placing 1 them in ice water after they are picked, 
allowing them to remain in it ten or twelve hours, then re- 
moving and hanging up by the feet in a cool place to drain. 
After this wipe them dry with a clean towel, and put a layer 
of broilers in the barrel, then a layer of ice, broken in pieces 
the size of a turkey's egg t covering the broilers well with the 
ice, followed by alternate layers of broilers and ice until the 
barrel is full, which should be covered with clean muslin and 
a thickness of bagging. Do not begin to pack until you are 
nearly ready to ship, and have all arrangements made in ad- 
vance with your merchant. Ship by express and avoid all 
delays. Never ship so as to reach the market on Saturday, 
as a portion of the stock may have to remain over Sunday 
before being sold, which adds to the expense of handling. 
Besides, there is often a shrinkage in value on account of 
being held over. 

SHIPPING LIVE POULTRY. 

There are a few general points in regard to shipping 
live poultry that are applicable to all markets: 

1. Shippers should see that the coops are in good condi- 
tion before using, so that they are not liable to come apart 
in transit, as they are roughly handled sometimes. 

2. The coops should also be high enough to allow what- 
ever kind of poultry is shipped, room enough to stand up. 
Low coops should not be used, as it is not only cruel, but a 
great deal of poultry is lost every year by suffocation. Coops 
should not be overcrowded. • 

3. In shipping hens and roosters they should be kept 
separate. Nothing depreciates the value of a fine coop of 
hens as much as to have a number of old cocks among them. 
Shippers often wonder why they do not get the highest mar- 
ket price for their stock; in most cases this is the reason. 
Good stock always commands a quick sale at best prices. 

4. Poultry should be shipped so as to arrive on the mar- 
ket from Tuesday to Friday. Receipts generally increase 



102 LLOYD'S MODERN POULTRY BOOK. 

toward the end of the week, and there is enough carried-over 
stock on hand Saturday to supply the demand. Merchants, 
rather than carry stock over Sunday, will sell at a sacrifice, 
as the stock, when in coops, loses considerable in weight by 
shrinkage, and does not appear fresh and bright. Besides, 
Monday is usually a poor day to sell poultry. 

SHIPPING BREEDING POULTRY. 

Some poultry breeders ship the fowls which they sell, in 
any box that comes handy. Sometimes these boxes are just 
right in size, sometimes they are too small; usually they are 
altogether too large, and the unlucky buyer pays express on 
a lot of unnecessary lumber. Do not use old boxes. Have 
regular shipping coops. These coops should be strong, light, 
neat and attractive, and large enough for the fowl or fowls, 
as the case may be, to sit or stand side by side comfortably, 
but no larger. For the bottoms and the ends of the coops, 
use half-inch boards; on the sides, at the bottom, nail a strip 
of board about six inches wide, and another six-inch strip 
across the top for marking. Make the rest of top and sides 
of lath. Cover the bottom with cut straw, sawdust, or other 
light litter. Tack a tin cup inside for water, and fix a place 
for feed. For long distances make a "hopper" so that the 
feed will work out at the bottom as fast as consumed by the 
fowls. Corn is the best food. Fasten to the coop a request 
to train hands to supply water. If such coops were used 
there would be less complaint about the express charges. 



CHAPTER IV. 

DISEASES OF POULTRY. 

As nearly all diseases of poultry are caused by cold, wet, 
want of cleanliness or improper feeding", it is much easier and 
cheaper to guard against disease than to cure it after it once 
gets into a flock. It is often hard to locate the trouble or 
determine the ailment. A hen is moping about with feath- 
ers rough, comb dark, appetite poor or gone. The hen is 
sick, but all of the symptoms may come from any one of a 
number of causes, and one is at a loss to know what the real 
cause is. In the case of common fowls we believe the cheap- 
est remedy — we know it is the most effectual — is to use the 
hatchet at once. If the quarters are not dry and clean, and 
the proper food and drink have not been given, these should 
at once be remedied and the "run" of the disease cut short- 
If the requirements for health have been met we may be 
pretty sure that the whole flock is better off with the sick 
bird out of the way. If pure air is furnished poultry, with 
no draft, wholesome food supplied, and the quarters are 
clean and dry, the cases of death from sickness will be very 
rare. 

In case of accident or where valuable birds are ill it may 
be advisable to employ remedies. In case the disease is the 
result of neglect it is well to use the means that will the 
soonest get the bad effects of the neglect out of our flocks, 
so we name some of the diseases poultry are subject to, with 
preventives and remedies. 

Have a pen or room, with a small run, apart from the 
flock, in which sick fowls may be placed while treated. 
Always disinfect after the death or removal of a fowl that 
has had a contagious disease. Have, as hospital stores, cas- 
tor oil, coal oil, sweet oil, carbonate of soda, carbolic acid, 



104 LLOYD'S MODERN POULTRY BOOK. 

charcoal, Douglass Mixture, pulverized chlorate of potash, 
roup pills, sulphur, and tonic powders. 

ABORTION. 

Sometimes hens when driven violently about drop sud- 
denly either a perfect or a soft egg- and afterwards mope 
about as if very ill. In such cases, which are not to . be 
confounded with merely laying soft-shelled eggs, the hen 
should be put into the pen; have it darkened. A little 
carbonate of soda may be put in the drinking water; the food 
should be soft and given sparingly. This treatment should 
continue a few days unless the patient recovers sooner. 
Abortion has in rare cases been caused by ergot on the grass 
runs. In such cases the cause must be removed. 

BLACK-ROT. 

The usual causes are improper food and filth. The first 
symptom is usually blackening of the comb. This is followed 
by swelling in the legs and feet accompanied with gradual 
wasting away. Treatment to be of any use must be given in 
the early stages. First give a dose of calomel or castor oil. 
Follow this with Douglass Mixture or any other simple tonic 
treatment with warm and nourishing diet. Take better care 
of those that are left. 

BRONCHITIS. 

Frequent coughing distinguishes this disease from a sim- 
ple cold in the head. Remove the fowl to the pen, which 
should be moderately warm. Add just enough sulphuric 
and nitric acid and white sugar to the water to make the 
whole slightly sweet and acid, or give roup pills. A little cay- 
enne or ginger may be added to the feed with advantage. 

BUMBLE-FOOT 

is a corn or abscess on the bottom of the foot. If it seems 
constitutional with some breeds, notice if it is not the large 
ones and if the afflicted birds have not been compelled to 
roost upon narrow, ill-shaped perches or to jump from high 
ones to a hard floor. These are most often the causes. Occa- 
sionally a case is so far advanced that a cure is impossible 
but generally if taken in good time a daily application of 
lunar caustic or painting with the tincture of iodine will 



DISEASES. 105 

effect a cure. In cases where the tumor is full of pus or in 
the form of an abscess it must be lanced and the matter 
pressed out, the part fomented with warm water and after 
a day or two the caustic applied. If the tumor is hard 
make the incision the shape of a cross and squeeze out the 
matter. During- treatment great gain will be made if the 
bird is compelled to "roost" on the floor covered with litter 
of straw or leaves. To prevent bumble-foot provide flat 
perches close to floor or with an approach formed by a ladder. 

CATARRH OR COLD IN THE HEAD. 

A common cold shows itself by more or less discharge 
from the eyes and nostrils. It is not dangerous, but if ne- 
glected may run into roup. Remove to a warm place. Give 
three drops mother tincture aconite in half a pint of drink- 
ing water. Feed moderately on soft food, mixed warm and 
seasoned with No. 1 mixture, given on page 123. If no bet- 
ter, or if worse in a few days; treat as in roup. 

CONSUMPTION. 

Damp or cold, want of light, or constitutional debility 
are the causes. When the cough of bronchitis becomes 
chronic, with wasting away and loss of strength, this disease 
may be suspected. We know of no cure. When danger is 
suspected, a tonic may be given as advised for debility, with 
hope that the disease may be warded off, yet we should dis- 
like very much to breed from a suspected bird, and should 
use the hatchet. 

CROP, SOFT OR SWELLED. 

In these cases the crop is distended, but the contents are 
soft or fluid. The cause is supposed to be excessive drinking 
after prolonged thirst, which causes the inner coats of the 
crop to lose their "tone." They are unable to contract 
properly on the food and the crop remains distended, even 
with air. Where taken in hand soon after the attack it can 
usually be mastered. Put the bird by itself and feed three 
times daily with a small quantity of soft food thoroughly 
cooked. Allow it to drink moderately after each meal only, 
water made slightly acid with nitric acid. Do not leave the 
fountain in the pen. Season the food with some such mix- 



106 Lloyd's modern poultry book. 

ture as No. 4, page 123. Chopped onions or garlic will be 
the best green food; in fact, they of themselves have a reme- 
dial effect. 

DIARRHEA 

may be caused by any sudden change in the diet, or even of 
the weather. If the looseness is observed early it can usual- 
ly be checked at once by giving a meal or two of boiled rice, 
sprinkled over with finely powdered chalk. If this does not 
effect a cure, six drops of camphor may be given three times 
daily. Restrict the diet to boiled rise and a little cut grass, 
daily. In very severe cases give half a grain of opium night 
and morning in a soft pill. When the patients are chicks 
keep them warm and give each chick a grain of pulverized 
ginger in the food once a day, and put a teaspoonful of alum 
in each quart of drinking water. 

DYSENTERY 

is diarrhea developed to the stage that the evacuations are 
mingled with blood. It is seldom cured. Good results have 
been obtained by giving twice a day five drops of laudanum. 

DISEASBS OF DUCKS. 

Ducks are not as subject to disease as hens, and are en- 
tirely free from lice and body parasites. Yet cleanliness, 
plenty of pure air and water increase egg production, pro- 
mote growth and improve the quality of ducklings. The 
building should be dry, clean and sweet but not too warm 
nor subject to too great range in temperature. If the food is 
healthy and nutritious the greater the variety the better. 

Death from Insects. — Many ducklings when allowed free 
range during warm weather die from devouring injurious in- 
sects. Bees, wasps, hornets and bugs of all descriptions are 
eagerly swallowed alive, and the ducklings often pay the 
penalty with their lives. To prevent this loss always con- 
fine ducklings, even when designed for breeding purposes, 
till they are six weeks old, after which they may be allowed 
to range. 

Diarrhea. — Young ducklings sometimes have diarrhea. 
It is caused more by overheating brooders and the exhausted 
condition of the mother bird than from improper food. It is 



DISEASES. 107 

usually prevalent during* warm weather. Do not overfeed 
or overheat ducklings. The remedy: Feed bread or cracker 
crumbs, moistened with boiled milk, into which a little pow- 
dered chalk has been dusted. 

Enlarged or Abnormal Liver is the most dangerous dis- 
ease to which young- ducks are subject. It is seldom preva- 
lent except during warm weather, and usually in ducklings 
from two to six weeks old. The livers of the little fellows 
often enlarge so as to force up their backs — a deformity 
which clings to them through life. It is caused by a com- 
plete stagnation of the digestive organs, and often appears 
after a heavy rain or long wet spell, which makes the yards 
wet, sloppy and offensive. The ducklings will, while in con- 
stant contact with this mud, absorb more or less of it, clog- 
ging the digestive organs, and deranging their appetites. 
Remedy: Remove the ducklings to a dry, shady place, feed 
sparingly and give a little Douglass Mixture in the drink- 
ing water. 

Sore Eyes. — Ducklings are sometimes troubled with sore 
eyes. The adjacent parts become inflamed, the head slightly 
swelled. The cause is filthy quarters or feeding sloppy food. 
The feathers around the eyes become filled with the food 
and the dust adheres to them. This naturally inflames the 
eyes. Reined}': Wash thoroughly clean with warm water 
and bathe the eyes with a little sweet oil. 

Chills. — Before fully feathered, ducklings are liable to 
chills if allowed free access to streams or ponds, or to wad- 
dle about in cold, wet grass. Treat chilled ducklings as you 
would chilled chicks. 

An Unnamed Disease.— From the Poultry Keeper we take 
the following: "My ducks act as though they were broken 
down in the back. They can use their feet and legs, but can- 
not walk. Put them on their feet and they will fall over. 
Will eat well for three or four days, then their appetite fails, 
and they finally stop eating altogether, and seem to dry up. 
Have nothing left but bones and feathers. They live for ten 
or twelve days. They give a coarse, croaking noise when you 
go near them, something like a young bullfrog. Their 



108 Lloyd's modern poultry book. 

digestive organs seem to be good, as their droppings are the 
same as the well ones, as far as I can see." 

The editor answers: "There are three probable causes. 
Damp sleeping quarters, ducks very fat, and injury by the 
drake's attentions. There are many sources for difficulty, 
however, such as the eating of some poisonous weed, or 
injurious substance, the depredations of parasites, etc. The 
principal cause of sickness among ducks, however, is damp 
sleeping places." 

ERUPTIONS OR WHITE COMB 

often result when green food is not supplied in abun" 
dance. There will be a whitish scurf or dandruff which if 
not checked extends down the neck, causing a loss of feathers 
as far as it goes. Fowls kept in small or dirty yards may 
acquire a scurfy skin of the same nature. The treatment is 
similar in both cases. Green food must be supplied and 
cleanliness attended to. Dress the affected parts with tar 
and sulphur ointment, or with an ointment made by mixing 
a quarter ounce of turmeric powder with an ounce of cocoa- 
nut oil. This last is a specific in true "white comb." As in- 
ternal treatment give a dose of castor oil to commence with, 
follow with a teaspoonful of powdered sulphur daily in the 
food for ten days. Should the sulphur cause irritation before 
a cure is effected, as will be indicated by the fowl constantly 
scratching its head, the parts may be dressed for a few days 
with sweet oil to which a few drops of carbolic acid have 
been added. 

FROST-BITE. 

The best treatment for frost-bitten combs or wattles is 
to thaw out with applications of snow or cold water. After- 
wards apply glycerine or sweet oil daily. Prevention is bet- 
ter, and in most cases may be accomplished by oiling the 
combs and wattles with a sponge or soft flannel every morn- 
ing. This not only protects the tissues, but prevents water 
adhering to and freezing upon the wattles when the fowls 
drink. No one will suppose that a little oil is to take the 
place of comfortable quarters, but in case of a sudden severe 
spell the oiling precaution will save pain and disfigurement 
to an innocent bird. Another thing, it is claimed a hen will 



x DISEASES. 109 

not lay during" the time a frost-bite is healing". A fowl with 
frozen feet should, be killed. If done before the feet thaw 
out and the fowl becomes feverish, it will be all right for 
table use. 

GAPES 

afflict chicks, and are caused by small, thread-like worms 
that get into the windpipe and choke the chicks. Gapes are 
seldom found where the chicks are on high, dry ground, 
have good food, pure water, and strict cleanliness about the 
coops and runs. Place their feed upon clean boards. The 
addition of Douglass Mixture to their drink is an added pre- 
ventive. 

When once a brood is infected there are several ways of 
getting rid of the pests. One is to take each chick, and with 
a horse hair doubled so as to form a loop, swab out its throat. 
Run the loop down the throat and give it a twist before re- 
moving it. Continue this till all the worms are removed. 

Some consider the fumes of burning carbolic acid the 
best remedy. Fix a box or coop so the chicks can be shut in 
the upper half, then put a few drops of the acid on a red-hot 
shovel and place it in the lower part, under the birds. Keep 
the chicks in the smoke till they are nearly suffocated, but 
keep a lookout that you do not quite choke the life out of 
them. There are some who use sulphur in the same way 
with good success. 

Another good remedy is to place the chicks in a close 
box, cover it over with cheese-cloth, and over this put air- 
slaked lime. Shake a little, so the fine lime will sift down 
among the chicks, taking care not to overdo the matter and 
smother them. 

If taken in hand as soon as the gasping is noticed, a 
small bit of camphor gum or two drops of turpentine mixed 
in soft food and given as a pill will generally effect a cure. 
If these do not, increase the dose. 

Other remedies are: putting good-sized lumps of camphor 
in the drinking water; mixing garlic or onions freely *n their 
food, or by mixing powdered asafetida and powdered gentian 
with it. 

Chicks that die from the gapes should be burned or 



110 LLOYD'S MODERN POULTRY BOOK. 

buried deep with plenty of quicklime. Move the coops to 
fresh ground, and spade the old places up and scatter quick- 
lime freely about the whole premises where the sick or dead 
have been. 

LEG WEAKNESS. 

True leg weakness, the kind that at first affects the legs 
only, is confined almost wholly to the large breeds and is 
caused by rapid growth, which increases the weight out of 
proportion to the strength of the legs. The tendency to this 
form of the disease may be lessened by feeding bone-forming 
food. The trouble usually begins when the chicks are be- 
tween four and five months old. The first symptom of leg 
weakness is a shaking or trembling of the legs when the 
chick stands or walks. Generally- the appetite is good, even 
after the patient is unable to walk. 

Treatment, to be effectual, should be commenced as soon 
as the first symptom of weakness is seen, for, after a chick 
once gets down upon its hocks, it is almost impossible to get 
it up again. The first thing to be looked after is the food; 
if the feed has been mostly corn meal, change to shorts and 
whole wheat, and give a raw egg daily to every two patients. 
Give milk to drink and give a teaspoonf ul of bone meal each 
day to each chick. Keep lime where it is easy of access. For 
medicine,give half a teaspoonful of Douglass Mixture a day to 
each chick and twice a day give a half-grain pill of quinine. 
They should show signs of being better in a week; then give 
only one pill a day, and, as soon as shaking ceases, leave off 
the pill and the egg, but continue the bone meal three or 
four times a week. Let them have the Douglass Mixture for 
three or four weeks longer. If a week of steady treatment 
does not produce improvement, it is not advisable to fuss 
with them any longer. Use the hatchet. 

When leg weakness comes on half-grown chicks of the 
small breeds ; give pills and Douglass Mixture as for the large 
breeds, till they brace up, then feed bone meal, lime and 
meat right along till carried to marketable age and condition, 
then market them. Do not keep for breeders. 

While fowls are being treated for leg weakness, keep 
them by themselves, but not in a close coop — they need ex- 



DISEASES. Ill 

ercise. To prevent leg- weakness, breed from healthy stock, 
and feed bone meal. 

Leg weakness in old fowls is sometimes caused by too 
high feeding and too little exercise. The fowls get fat and 
heavy and cannot walk or stand steady. This form of 
weakness may sometimes be overcome by cutting down the 
feed and giving the Douglass Mixture, bone meal, and mak- 
ing the fowls scratch. But it really pays better to kill at 
once and use for the table any fowls that begin to show leg 
weakness because of overfeeding. Killed then they are per- 
fectly wholesome. 

Another form of leg weakness comes from injury to the 
hock joint, caused by jumping from high roosts. To prevent 
this, have low roosts. If it occurs before the roosts are made 
low, put the injured fowl in a well littered coop, without 
perches, and give victuals and drink, and nature will do the 
rest, if cared for when first lamed. 

Paralysis of the legs is different from other forms of leg 
weakness, and the best remedy is the hatchet. 

Gout may be told from leg weakness, as the legs and feet 
feel hot, are somewhat swelled and have a more or less in- 
flamed look. It is most common in the Asiatic breeds. Remove 
the bird to a dry, warm place and give a dose of calomel to 
open the bowels, after which a half -grain pill of colchicum 
should be given daily. If the legs and joints are daily well 
rubbed with sweet oil they will be benefited. 

LICE, 

though not a disease, are generally classed as such, for 
a louse-afflicted fowl is as bad off as one that is diseased. It 
seems hard that fowls should be made to suffer so much in- 
convenience, and their owners so much loss, because of un- 
thrift through neglect to provide means whereby they may 
keep themselves free from lice. Cleanliness will do it. When 
lice have got a foothold in a flock or their quarters, the real 
work begins, for they must be dislodged or health and profit 
are gone. The ways to dislodge them are very nearly as 
various as the parties who find their flocks infested. We 
give a few of those most commonly used. 

The Symptoms of Uce are various. Bowel disease in 



112 LLOYD'S MODERN POULTRY BOOK. 

summer is one; when chicks are sleepy or drowsy, look out 
for lice; when fowls refuse to eat, when they look puny or 
grow slowly; when they die suddenly; when there is a grad- 
ual failing* or wasting away; when there is constant crying 
or loss of feathers, look out for lice. Even when houses are 
kept clean, large body lice may be found on chicks; these 
come from the adult fowls. A chick will never get these 
lice unless old fowls are near; that is why brooder chicks 
grow faster than those under hens. The large lice will kill 
ducks suddenly. They kill nearly all the young turkeys 
that die that are not killed by wet and damp. Whenever"you 
notice a sick fowl dusting itself look for lice. 

The Dust Bath. — If the house is kept clean, and a dust 
bath provided, the hens will drive the little mites away, but 
it is not easy to get rid. of the large lice. Finely sifted coal 
ashes or dry dirt, especially road dust, is excellent. A little 
sulphur added to the dust bath is a help, as will be a little 
air-slaked lime. The poultry must have a dust bath, both 
in summer and winter. 

Causes of Lice are not many. Filth is the greatest 
cause. The mites will breed in the droppings. Rotten nest 
eggs will cause them. If an egg is broken in a nest and al- 
lowed to remain there, there will soon be multitudes of lice. 
The hen that is sitting breeds them by thousands. They are 
harbored in cracks and crevices everywhere. They leave 
their quarters at night and prey upon the fowls, but the 
large body lice never leave the birds; you have got to look 
for them and look carefully too. Although these large body 
lice never leave the fowls of their own accord to find harbor 
in the house, there should be provisions made for the hens 
dusting themselves. Also keep the house and surroundings 
clean and well saturated with kerosene oil. Having provided 
a dust bath, take each fowl by the legs and dust plenty of 
Persian insect powder (have it fresh) into the feathers and 
down. Then grease the heads, throats, legs and vents with 
a mixture made as follows: Lard, one teacupful; carbolic 
acid, one-half teaspoonful; crude petroleum, one teaspo<3nful; 
oil pennyroyal, one teaspoonful; kerosene, one teaspoonful. 
Mix well,- and use only a few drops on each place. 



DISEASES. 113 

Never grease the body of a fowl or chick, nor use kero- 
sene undiluted. 

A drop of pure lard or oil may be put under the wings; 
this will kill any lice there. 

To get rid of Lice. — Clear everything out of the coop, burn 
the rubbish, whitewash the sides and roof, pour coal oil into 
the cracks and crevices. If the floor is of earth or cov- 
ered with earth, scrape off the top and carry it away out 
of the reach of the fowls, then sprinkle the floor with air- 
slaked lime or fresh earth. This done, fumigate the house 
with burning sulphur. This is done by putting the sulphur 
in an old kettle, setting fire to it and shutting the house up 
tight. If the perches and nest boxes are not too numerous 
or expensive it will be the cleanest thing to burn them and 
all other material removed from the buildings. If they are 
not burned, take boiling hot soap-suds and give them a 
thorough scrubbing. When they are dry and replaced in the 
building wet them with coal oil. The old nest material 
should not be used; the new should be sprinkled with snuff, 
carbolic powder or insect powder. Air the build.ng well 
before letting the fowls in. Repeat the oiling of perches and 
nest boxes once a week. Dust insect powder or Scotch snuff 
into the feathers of the fowls. Give them a good dust bath 
of sifted coal ashes or road dust to which a liberal supply 
of sulphur has been added. Keep the house clean and white- 
wash at least twice a year. This fight persisted in will get 
the start of the lice. 

Sassafras Oil for Lice.— J. W. Crise writes to the Poultry 
Keeper: : 'I find sassafras oil used on the roost is more effective 
than anything I've ever tried. One ounce is sufficient for 100 
fowls. This amount put on the roosts will last a long time, 
and it is said that lice will not stay where it is used, and I 
know this is true. Sassafras poles for perches would be pref- 
erable if convenient." 

Tansy as a Remedy. — E. E. Kennicott writes: "There 
has been considerable talk in the Poultry Keeper in regard 
to the various ways of exterminating vermin in the poultry 
house and from the fowls, and I will give my way, which is 
simple and has always proved successful with me. Gather 



114 LLOYD'S MODERN POULTRY BOOK. 

tansy in the fall, and tack it up around the chicken house, 
under the roosts, in the bottom of the nests, and on the 
ground. This will drive away both the body lice and mites. 
Use lots of it. It is cheap and effectual." 

Crude Petroleum.— H. J. Fisher gives this for a remedy: 
Procure crude petroleum, and a whitewash brush; go to 
work and apply the oil plentifully to the inside of the coop, 
nest and perches. No chicken lice will apply, and those in 
the vicinity will turn up their toes. Very lousy birds will 
require a greasing- with the oil. Tar paper, sulphur, etc., 
do not compare with the petroleum. Again, another use of 
petroleum: For each bird in the flock add from five to ten 
drops of petroleum to bran mash, feed once or twice daily, 
and chicken cholera will, as the boys say, skip out. Crude 
petroleum can be had for from $1 to $1.50 per barrel near oil 
centers. 

Tobacco as a Remedy. — F. H. Putman says: I took two 
pounds of plug tobacco, soaked it thirty-six hours in three 
gallons of rain water, occasionally pressing it to obtain all 
the strength possible from the tobacco, and then turned the 
water off into a large pail, and with an old whitewash brush 
I covered the roosts and nest boxes thoroughly with the 
tobacco juice. I also sprinkled the nests, even under the 
sitting hens, and in twenty-four hours I could not find a 
single chicken louse on any old or young chickens that I ex- 
amined, and am confident it is a sure destroyer of chicken 
lice. I also had quite a large flock of young Pekin ducks, 
and was finding one or two dead in the coop each morning. 
Since using the tobacco I have not lost a single duck, so I 
think lice was the cause of their dying too. 

Bisulphide of Carbon. — A French writer says he drove 
the lice from his hen-house by tying a few small bottles of 
bisulphide of carbon to the perches with the stoppers out, 
leaving the liquid to evaporate. The hens roost over the 
bottles and the vapor kills the lice. This is what he says: 
"The very next day after using it I was agreeably surprised 
to find that the enemy had left, leaving none but dead and 
dying behind, and on the following day not a single living 
insect was to be found, while my birds were sitting quietly 



s 



DISEASES. 115 

on the roosts enjoying- an unwontedly peaceful repose. This 
lasted for twelve days, till the sulphide had evaporated. 
Twenty-four hours later a fresh invasion of lice put in an ap- 
pearance under the wings of the birds in the warmest por- 
tions of the house where there were no currents of air. I re- 
plenished the supply of sulphide, and the next morning only 
a few of these were remaining. The next morning every 
trace of vermin had disappeared. Since that time I have 
personally made a great number of further trials with the 
sulphide with immediate and absolute success. I should 
recommend the sulphide of carbon to be put in small medi- 
cine vials hung about the pigeon-house or p oultry roost. When 
it has about three parts evaporated the remainder will have 
acquired a yellowish tinge, and no longer act so completely 
as before, but if it be shaken up afresh it will suffice to keep 
the enemy at a distance." 

If this is used great care must be taken not to have fire of 
any kind near the bisulphide, and it seems to us that such 
fumes strong enough to kill lice on a fowl would be hazard- 
ous to the life of the fowl. Furthermore, bisulphide of car- 
bon is heavier than air and sinks instead of rises. We can 
hardly see how it can be of service as recommended. We 
give it here with these comments, that our readers may be 
posted should they see this remedy recommended. 

CHOLERA 

is by all odds the most contagious and rapidly fatal of all 
poultry diseases. It attacks turkeys as well as fowls. It is 
pretty well settled that a microscopic organism or germ, 
taken into the system through food and drink, causes all the 
trouble. This germ first affects the blood, then the liver, 
and throws the whole digestive apparatus out of order. 
Where the germs generate or are begotten is as yet unknown 
or at least not revealed to common poultry folk. There is 
quite a general impression in the air that filth is a good 
breeding place for these little enemies of poultry life. 
There are cases where the quarters and runs are clean and 
cholera takes hold of the flock. Here the germs may have 
been brought in by neighboring poultry, or the feeding uten- 



-7 

116 LLOYDS MODERX POULTRY BOOK. 

I 

sils or watering vessels may be filthy. Even where the fowls 
roost in trees and the droppings are allowed to accumulate, 
the putrid nature of the mass is revealed when damp or wet 
comes, and cholera has been known to break out when no 
other cause could be given but this pile of corruption in the 
open air. 

A. J. Hill, in his "Treatise on Chicken Cholera," says he 
has sufficient evidence to warrant him in saying that the 
cause is local. Wherever the disease prevails, right there the 
cause exists; and there is the place where its cause was gen- 
erated, unless infectious matter had been introduced by dis- 
eased fowls or otherwise. 

Symptoms. — The same writer describes the usual symp- 
toms thus: "The fowl has a dejected, sleepy and drooping 
appearance and does not plume itself; is very thirsty, gapes 
often and sometimes staggers and falls from weakness; comb 
and wattles lose their natural color, generally turning pale, 
but sometimes dark. There is diarrhea, with greenish dis- 
charge, or like sulphur and water, afterwards thin and 
frothy. Prostration follows, the crop fills with mucus and 
wind, the breathing is heavy and fast, the eyes close and in 
a few hours the fowls die." There may be slight variations 
in the symptoms of different fowls, but the peculiar color of 
the discharge and their frequency are sure indications of the 
disease. Some fowls will live several days after diarrhea 
commences, others in apparent good health one day will be 
dead the next. 

Preventives.— Poultry breeders are divided in their opin- 
ions as to whether cholera is contagious or not. It is best 
to be on the safe side and assume that it is contagious, and 
act accordingly. It is certain that where cleanliness is rig- 
idly maintained and disinfectants are freely used, cholera 
may be almost, if not entirely, prevented; if introduced into 
such quarters by strange fowls, or from the premises of 
neighboring flocks, it can generally be soon eradicated. As 
an aid in keeping the flocks healthy, we repeat what we have 
already said in regard to cleanliness and care. Have dry 
runs, houses free from damp and well ventilated, without 
drafts. The yards and houses may be kept clean and sweet 



DISEASED. 117 

by using the scraper (hoe or spade) and plenty of fresh soil, 
fine sand, sifted coal ashes or sawdust. 

Whitewash is a great preserver of freshness; it purifies 
the air, sweetens the premises, and gives a light and cheery 
aspect to the whole place. Use plenty of whitewash, and 
use twice or oftener each year. 

Do not feed lice, but feed your fowls wholesome food in 
variety. Use thrifty, vigorous stock for breeding purposes. 
Have a pen for sick fowls, and when you get new stock hold 
them in quarantine till they establish the right to be called 
healthy; then give them the privilege of the place. Keep 
every fowl busy, and if any are too tired to work or are a 
little off their feed, reduce their ration, and for awhile give 
a few drops of Douglass Mixture or tincture of iron, daily, in 
their drink. 

Disinfectants. — When there is any contagious disease 
among your flock, or in the neighborhood, disinfect your 
houses, runs and all places frequented by the poultry, at 
least once a day, until all danger is past. A good, cheap 
disinfectant is made by adding two ounces of carbolic acid 
to three quarts of water. Or dissolve three pounds of cop- 
peras in five gallons of water; then add half a pint of crude 
carbolic acid. These may be applied with a common sprin- 
kling can. Whitewash is a good disinfectant. Lime or ashes 
will help to sweeten ground that has been fouled by fowls 
roosting in trees above it. 

Remedy. — The surest, quickest way to get rid of cholera 
is to kill all the sick fowls and burn the remains, or else 
bury deep, having first covered them with quicklime; then 
clean up the quarters and burn the matter gathered. When 
you have got the quarters as clean as possible, close them up 
tight and put a pound of sulphur in an old kettle, pour on half 
a pint of alcohol, and have it where you can reach it from the 
door, set fire to it, close the door, and leave it to burn out. 
Do not have any fowls in the house during the burning. 
Wherever the sick fowls have left their droppings, wet the 
ground thoroughly with the copperas disinfectant, and scat- 
ter lime freely. Do this daily as long as the cholera remains 
upon the premises. Give the flock pulverized charcoal, (table- 



118 Lloyd's modekn poultry book. 

spoonful to pint of food) three or four times a week, and once 
in every two or three days add five drops of carbolic acid to a 
quart of water and use it to mix their food with; also, till 
after the cholera has disappeared, give Doug-lass Mixture 
daily in their drink. 

A Tested Cure. — A Kentucky subscriber writes me: I 
want to thank you for your answer to my request as to. the 
trouble with my poultry and for the remedy. After I wrote 
you and before receiving- your reply, I discovered another 
remedy for the cholera that played such havoc with my fowls. 
It was such an effective one I want your readers to have the 
benefit of it. It is as follows: Equal parts of saltpeter, 
black antimony and sulphur. Mix the powdered sulphur and 
black antimony thoroughly, say a teaspoonful of each, then 
mix this dry with the meal or bran whichever is intended 
for the feed; then dissolve the saltpeter in warm water 
enough to make the mass the usual consistency for feeding. 
A teaspoonful of each of the saltpeter, black antimony and 
sulphur is about the right proportion for a feed for ten hens. 

If the hens are too sick to eat put the feed in their 
mouths with the fingers, and see that it is passed down their 
throats. When I first tried this remedy there were two of 
my best hens to all appearances as dead as Hector, they were 
just breathing and that was all; didn't expect to save them. 
They were given the remedy in the evening a little after 
dark; in the morning they were on their feet, and on the 
third day after were about as well as ever. I feed the mix- 
ture occasionally as a preventive. Have not lost a single 
fowl since commencing to feed it. Have no doubt that it is 
good for hogs also. 

OTHER REMEDIES. 

If you do not wish to try the hatchet remedy on the sick 
fowls separate them from the well fowls. Give the well ones 
the acid, pulverized charcoal and Douglass Mixture as recom- 
mended in "Remedy" above and try some of the following on 
the sick ones: Calomel and blue mass in two-grain doses may 
be given twice a day. 

Powdered chalk, powdered charcoal, gum camphor, 



DISEASES. 119 

asafetida and pure carbolic acid, equal parts; mix together and 
give a teaspoonful in food twice a day to ten fowls. 

Half a level teaspoonful of hyphosulphate of soda in as 
much water as will dissolve it. Give once a day for three 
days. 

Dr. Dickie's Remedy. — Fowls that are too sick to eat 
should have every four or five hours a pill made as follows: 
Blue mass sixty grains, pulverized camphor twenty-five 
grains, cayenne pepper thirty grains, pulverized rhubarb 
forty-eight grains, laudanum sixty drops. Mix and make 
into twenty pills. When they have had time to act, give half 
a teaspoonful of castor oil and ten drops of laudanum to each. 
Let them drink scalded sour milk, with a gill of Douglass 
Mixture for every twenty-five head, a day. This treatment 
ought to change the character of the evacuations and make 
them darker and more solid. When this happens, and not be- 
fore, give them alum water or strong white oak bark tea to 
drink, and no other drink. This will tend to check the dis- 
charges. 

SOFT-SHELL EGGS 

are classed with diseases by most poultrymen. Of course, 
they are not the disease but the result of a disease, or a 
lack in the material furnished the hen. It used to be con- 
sidered that lack of lime was the fault, now the trouble is as- 
signed to overfatness, or a weakness of the egg-producing 
machinery. Some claim they care not how much lime, 
oyster shells or egg shells be given a hen, if she is too fat 
soft-shell eggs double-yolk eggs, infertile eggs — all depart- 
ures from the normal — will be the result. Those who claim 
that lime, furnished in the above forms, being insoluble, is 
of no use, hold that lime should be furnished in oats, wheat, 
barley, and especially in clover. It is undoubtedly true that 
a large portion of the good that oyster shells do poultry is 
the mechanical part they perform in the grinding operations of 
the gizzard, yet from careful experiments it is shown that 
there is a certain amount of direct good obtained by their 
use, and, where they can be obtained at a reasonable cost, 
it will pay to use them. See "Oyster Shells for Laying 
Hens." 



120 LLOYD'S MODERN POULTRY BOOK. 

ANEMIC POULTRY. 

Prof. Woodroffe Hill, of England, says that in the nu- 
merous specimens of poultry submitted to him for investiga- 
tion as to the cause of death, he frequently finds 
it to be anaemia. The term anaemia signifies poverty 
or deficiency of blood. In this disease a great dim- 
inution in the quantity of red globules or corpuscles 
takes place; from the normal condition of 130 per 1,000 of 
blood they are in advanced cases of anaemia reduced as low as 
fifty per 1,000. The liquor sanguinis, or fluid in which the 
corpuscles are suspended, is deficient in albumen, and has 
generally an excess of saline matter. It is important to 
recognize the gravity and results of anaemia, for I find amoDgst 
poultry people it is a condition very frequently passed over, 
and when otherwise, not very clearly understood; therefore 
I wish to make this article as plain as possible. It is neces- 
sary for the maintenance of health and strength that the 
food should not only be good and suitable, but properly as- 
similated after being partaken of — i. e., converted into nu- 
trition — and it will be easily seen that anything affecting the 
nutritive process must be injurious to the functional activity 
of the digestive and other organs. This is especially the case 
with anaemic or poor blood, which fluid under such conditions 
not only deteriorates the power of the gastric and intestinal 
glands, but weakens the muscular action of the stomach 
proper, and its important secondary agent, the gizzard. It 
will be, therefore, understood that anaemia plays a prominent 
part in the production of indigestion. 

If the reader will pause for a moment to consider the 
important part in the maintenance of life the red corpuscles 
of the blood play, remembering they are the agents by 
which the chemical changes occur in the body, their emission 
of carbonic acid gas and absorption of oxygen in the lungs, 
their ceaseless circulatory rounds conveying oxygen to every 
part of the system, aiding in the removal of effete matter, 
and constantly building up the body with nutritive elements, 
he will recognize at once, or should do so, the value of their 
mission, and the importance of maintaining their standard 
of strength. In anaemia the center of circulation (the heart) 



DISEASES. 121 

is of necessity weakened, and it is almost needless to say this 
gfeat force pump requires a full and free supply of healthy 
blood to enable it to maintain its strength and perform its 
work properly. The power of contraction and dilation which 
the heart must continually exercise is strengthened or less- 
ened in accordance with the amount of material tl?e organ is 
supplied with, and to which it owes its machine-like regu- 
larity and muscular energy, and the feeble heart-beat of a 
poor anaemic little chick very soon stops. Anorexia, or loss 
of appetite, as associated with anaemia, is the result of the 
weakened state of the digestive organs, the tone of which 
being lost, the sense of hunger becomes blunted, and the 
bird has consequently little or no inclination to feed. 

The Causes of anaemia are numerous and not difficult 
to find. Overcrowding, defective ventilation, stinted light, 
bad drainage, innutritious and insufficient food, are sever- 
ally conducive to anaemia, and if the subject be of a weakly 
constitution they are the more so. Anaemia also follows 
debilitating disease and hemorrhage. Cellar-kept poultry 
or those in other dark habitations, soon become anaemic. 
Note the bleached and colorless shoots of a plant that has 
sprouted in a dark cellar and compare them with the shoots 
of a similar plant exposed to heaven's light and breath, or 
observe the pallid countenance and languid step of an 
individual who is confined in a crowded, ill-ventilated work- 
shop throughout the day, as contrasted with one whose 
occupation gives him every chance of imbibing pure, or at 
any rate fresh air, and you have a true and daily illustration 
of the effect of these sanitary arrangements, which may be 
with equal force applied to poultry under similar conditions. 
Indeed, fresh air and light are as *essential to birds of the 
gallinaceous tribe, for the formation of good blood, as to 
man. Air must, to maintain health, be renewed not re-used. 
It is the oxygen which gives color to the blood. Stint the 
supply of this necessary element and you withdraw the col- 
oring matter and promote the pallid condition characteristic 
of anaemia. Again, good nutritious food is just as necessary 
for the production of pure blood and healthy muscle. We 
may as well try and build a strong substantial house out of 






122 Lloyd's modern poultry book. 

bad an d weak materials, as expect that blood derived from 
such a source, and under the circumstances enumerated, will 
make sound muscle. 

Symptoms. — Anaemic poultry generally exhibit considera- 
ble muscular prostration, with depression of spirits. The bird 
has a bloodless look, especially about the eyes. The comb 
is generally pallid, cold and inclined to lop over. The mouth 
is white, the tongue particularly so. The limbs are cold, and 
the thighs sometimes swollen. The skin is unnaturally white 
and clammy. The bird very often squats or walks languidly 
about, as though life wasn't worth living. A post-mortem 
examination reveals general pallor of the muscles and viscera. 
The tissues are flabby and watery-looking, the liver bleached, 
and the lungs of a grayish- white color. Anaemic birds are 
usually emaciated. The eggs (but few) are thinin shell, and 
pale in yolk. The excretions and secretions are scanty, the 
plumage lusterless. Indigestion and loss of appetite have 
already been alluded to. Anaemic poultry is not nutritious 
food or readity digested, any more than anaemic veal — i. e., 
where the calf has been frequently bled to produce white 
meat after slaughter. 

Treatment. — To insure a successful issue the causes 
giving rise to anaemia must be promptly removed, and this 
should be followed by assisting nature in restoring the de- 
ficiency in the color and quality of the blood by those agents 
which form the necessary constituents of healthy blood. For 
the former a nutritious diet, with a free allowance of fresh 
air, sunlight, and ample run should be ordered. Vegetable 
and mineral tonics, especially the preparations of iron, and, 
if there be much emaciation, cod-liver oil should be pre- 
scribed for the latter. The phosphate of iron is extremely 
serviceable in anaemia, and when the latter is associated 
with indigestion I find the greatest benefit from steel and 
pepsine pilules. In advanced cases the inhalation of oxygen 
may be had recourse to. Much valuable poultry is lost yearly 
from anaemia, and yet I know of no condition so easily 
avoided and remedied, which makes it all the more deplora- 
ble that the sacrifice and loss goes on unchecked. 



DISEASES. 123 



TONIC POWDEKS. 



No. 1. No. 2. 

Licorice, 2 oz. Cassia Bark, 1% oz. 

Ginger, 2 oz. Ginger, 5 oz, 

Cayenne Pepper, 1 oz. Gentian, % oz - 

Anise Seed, % oz. Anise Seed, X oz. 

Pimento, 2 oz. Carbonate of Iron, 2%oz. 

Sulphate of Iron, 1 oz. Powder and mix. 

Powder and mix. 

No. 3. No. 4. 

Peruvian Bark, 2 oz. Cascarilla Bark, 2 oz. 

Citrate of Iron, 1 oz. Anise Seed, % oz. 

Gentian, 1 oz. Pimento 1 oz. 

Pimento, 2 oz. Moth Dust, 2 oz. 

Cayenne, 1 oz. Carbonate of Iron, 1 oz. 

Powder and mix. - Powder and mix. 

No. 1 is especially recommended in case of sudden colds. 
No. 2 is an excellent tonic in wet or cold weather, or for 
young 1 turkeys. No. 3 is helpful in overcoming the ill effects 
of the show pen No. 4 may be used when a continuous tonic 
is required, as when fitting birds for exhibition. This may 
be mixed with sugar, one part of the powder to three parts of 
refined sugar. This is relished by the birds. When using 
either of the tonics otherwise, enough should be added to 
soft food to give it a slight flavor of the tonic and no more, 
except in special cases, then give each bird what will lie 
on a dime. 

ROUP 

is the bane of the poultry yard, and if we except cholera 
there is no disease so troublesome or offensive. After it has 
run to a certain stage it is contagious. If neglected it is 
fatal. When roup gets into a flock their quarters should be 
thoroughly cleaned and disinfected. Use a tablespoonful of 
caroolic acid to a quart of water to disinfect. Sprinkle freely 
on floor and sides of building. Wash the perches, feed boxes 
and drinking vessels. 

Cause. — The chief cause of roup is a neglected cold. The 
cold may be from exposure to drafts, wet, damp roosting 



154 Lloyd's modern poultry book. 

places, or to too sudden a change from overheated houses to 
cooler quarters. Fowls that have been stimulated by pepper, 
or egg foods that are composed largely of pepper, and then 
exposed to wet and cold, will often catclwa cold. A little 
pepper may be a good thing, but too much of even a good 
thing is bad. 

Prevention is better than cure, so the best plan is to 
guard against all the causes, then if the disease gets among 
the fowls in your neighborhood use carbolic acid, charcoal 
and Douglass Mixture as recommended to prevent cholera. 
If, after all efforts, the disease gets a foothold in your flock 
it will be of a milder type and more easily handled than if 
the quarters are damp and filthy, for notwithstanding that 
fowls sometimes get along amid filthy surroundings without 
roup, it is a fact that roup thrives and develops the 
most malignant form in damp„and dirty quarters. Like diph- 
theria in the human family, till the disease appears in a lo- 
cality the filthy places and the clean are alike exempt, but 
after its appearance the most filthy surroundings give the best 
aid to its development. 

Symptoms. — The first symptoms of roup— hoarseness, 
sneezing, and a slight running at the nostrils — are the same 
as those of a common cold. In the second stage of the dis- 
ease the discharge from the nostrils thickens and becomes 
very offensive, and the eyes and head are affected more or 
less. In the third and last stage the head swells, ulcers form 
in the mouth and throat, and sometimes around the eyes, the 
appetite fails, the comb turns black, and the fowl dies. 
When the roup first makes its appearance in a flock, while it 
is still in the first stage, is the time to handle it easily and 
surely. In the beginning the symptoms are identical with 
those of catarrh, but the discharge soon commences to thick- 
en and fill up the nostrils, the eyelids and face become 
swollen from the accumulation of mucus, which now gives 
out an offensive odor, air bubbles appear in the corners of 
the eyes and in the throat, and in a few days the bird, unless 
relieved, dies from suffocation. When the disease assumes 
this aggravated form, it becomes highly contagious; there- 
fore, no time should be lost, but the affected bird should be 



DISEASES. 125 

removed from its companions, and thus prevent the commu- 
nication of the disease. 

Names. — The term roup covers a multitude of ills. It is 
known by different names, such as sore head, sore throat, in- 
flamed eyes, swelled head, cancer, catarrh, pustulated nos- 
trils, but in each and every case roup would cover the symp- 
toms, and the remedies employed for it would alleviate or 
cure them. 

Remedy. — Disinfect the quarters by cleaning as thorough- 
ly as possible, then shut up tight, put a pound of sulphur in 
an old iron kettle, pour on a half a pint of alcohol, set it in 
the house where you can reach it from the door, hold your 
nose with one hand, set fire to the alcohol, shut the door and 
leave. Do this after the sick ones have been separated from 
the well ones. Give the sick ones a dessert-spoonful of castor 
oil at night, and for a week feed chiefly on cooked food, with 
daily doses of charcoal, Douglass Mixture and acid. The well 
ones may be given the charcoal and Douglass Mixture for a 
week also. If any of the sick ones have ulcers in the throat 
dust them twice a day with pulverized chlorate of potash. If 
the fowls are so bad that the nostrils are clogged with 
matter, the head swells, eyes are closed and ulcers are in 
the throat, use the hatchet at once and burn or bury deep the 
"remains.'* 

Another Remedy. — Although many claim a sure cure for 
this disease, treatment of the sick ones is very unsatisfactory. 
Remove the sick ones and thoroughly clean and disinfect the 
chicken premises. Scatter lime and carbolic acid freely 
about the walls and floor of the house. Give a warm, dry 
place to stay. Rub the throat of sick ones with coal oil and 
camphor. Swab the throat with kerosene. 

The Hatchet Remedy will give the best satisfaction 
when the disease has reached the third stage, 

P. H. Jacobs gives the following treatment: As soon as 
hoarse breathing is noticed, and especially when the bird is 
suffering from severe hoarseness and seems to be in danger 
of choking, put it in a large box and set fire to a mixture 
composed of a tablespoonful each of pine tar and turpentine, 
with a pinch of sulphur and a few drops of carbolic acid. 



126 Lloyd's modern poultry book. 

Keep the bird in the box until nearly suffocated, when the 
breathing- will at once become easier and the disease more 
readily submit to treatment. Burn some of the same ingredi- 
ents every night, in the poultry house, after the birds are on 
the roost. If there are many sick fowls place several of them 
in a large box, barrel or hogshead, and. submit them to the 
fumes of the mixture together, or the whole flock may be so 
treated^every evening when shut up in the poultry house. It 
detaches the phlegm and membrane and causes the matter to 
be thrown off. Having done this for the croup form of roup, 
inject two drops, twice a day, in each nostril, of the follow- 
ing: -Bromo-chloralum and water, equal parts. 

Injections for the Nostrils. — Should the bromo- 
chloralum fail to give relief, mix together a tablespoon- 
ful of kerosene oil, the same of warm lard, and add ten 
drops of carbolic acid. Inject two drops in each nostril once 
a day,using a small glass eye-syringe, or a sewing-machine oil- 
can. Another excellent injection is Labarraque's solution of 
chlorinated soda, mixed with twice its quantity of water, 
using two or three drops, twice a day, in each nostril. 

Swelled Head and Sore Eyes. — When the eyes are sore, 
and closed, and the head swelled, bathe the eyes with a 
warm solution, once daily, made by dissolving a teaspoonful 
of boracic acid in a gill of water, using a soft sponge for that 
purpose. Once a day, also, anoint the head and eyes (closed) 
with ten drops carbolic acid in a tablespoonful of glycerine. 
The following is also recommended by some as a wash: It is 
to use eight grains sulphate of copper (blue vitriol) and six 
drops solution of carbolie acid for each fluid ounce of water. 
Apply this wash two or three times a day, by means of a 
camel's-hair pencil, to the face, taking care not to injure 
the sight by allowing it in the eyes; brush the inside of the 
mouth and throat, and inject it by means of a small syringe 
into the nostrils. As the disease abates reduce the frequency 
of the application and the strength of solution. A wash 
which may be used in place of the above, and in the same 
manner, and without fear of injury to the eyes, is the solu- 
tion of chlorinated soda (Labarraque's solution) diluted with 
four times its bulk of water. In this and all other diseases, 



DISEASES. 127 

much is gained by taking- the ease in hand at the earliest 
stage. 

How to Treat. — After the disease becomes contagious, 
first thoroughly disinfect the entire premises, and use bromo- 
chloralum and dilute it one-half. Inject it up the nostrils 
once a day with a small syringe or a sewing-machine oil-can. 
Add sixty grains of bromide of potassium to each quart of 
drinking water. Burn a mixture of wood tar, turpentine, 
sulphur and carbolic acid in the poultry house at night, after 
the fowls have gone on the roost, until they are nearly suffo- 
cated, and repeat every evening. Bathe the heads with 
warm water, adding ten drops of carbolic acid to each gill of 
water. Above all things, avoid cracks, crevices or drafts, 
especially from ventilators at the top. The head and throat 
may be greased once slightly (no more) with an ointment 
composed of lard, kerosene and turpentine, equal parts. For 
rattles and canker throat and mouth, use one ounce chlorate 
of potash in a pint bottle, sixty drops tincture iron, twenty 
drops carbolic acid and twenty grains bromide potash. Fill 
with water and give one-half teaspoonful night and morning. 

Tonics. — Give these in the soft feed, morning and night. 
Take one dram Peruvian bark, one dram gentian, twenty 
grains bromide potassium, ten grains pulverized copperas, 
one dram salt and ten grains red pepper. Give a teaspoonful 
in the soft food for five fowls. 

An Alum Remedy. — Mrs. Johanna Hunter, Kansas, says: 
"My chickens were dying of roup. I tried many things 
but all failed. I then put alum in the water that I gave 
them to drink, made it very strong for two weeks, and then 
have given it once a week. I have 200 hens; have got over 
eighty dozen eggs in the month of January; have lost but 
very few chickens since giving the alum." 

The Canker Form is thus described by a subscriber to 
Poultry Keeper: "The first thing I noticed was a sore on the 
outside of the face, a little back of the opening of the bill. In 
opening the mouth, I found one side covered with thick canker, 
and the whole side of the head is now sore, and blotches 
down the throat. Is this roup?" Yes, it is roup, and when lumps 
and sores appear it is verging on the scrofulous. It is useless to 



128 LLOYD'S MODERN POULTRY BOOK. 

attempt to save such a bird, as the labor required would be 
too great, and the disease may spread. As a remedy a table- 
spoonful of chlorate of potash in each quart of drinking- 
water, with the anointing of the face with a few drops of a 
mixture of one part spirits turpentine, and three of sweet 
oil, would be excellent. 

Eye Ointment.— When the eyes are covered with matter 
they may be anointed with a mixture of one part spirits tur- 
pentine and three parts sweet oil. 

Soap Remedy. — Here is a receipt for the roup which has 
never failed me for the last fifteen years. It may be of use 
to some of your readers. Take common soap, scrape off 
with a knife from the bar as much as you require, and work 
into the same as much red pepper as it will take. Give two 
pills the size of a hazelnut. * If one dose don't fix them, a 
second dose the next day will. — F. G. Lee. 

EGG-BOUND 

is caused by the hen being too fat, by the attentions of a 
heavy cock, by jumping from a high roost, or by injury of 
some kind, but overfeeding is the main cause. It may be 
known by the appearance of the hen from the rear. If the 
egg gets broken it will usually prove fatal with the hen, and 
for that reason great care should be exercised in treating. 
The first step is to oil the vent with pure olive oil; also inject 
a little into the egg passage. If that does not give relief 
within an hour repeat, and in addition bathe the parts with 
something warm and moist. The food should be soft, and 
but a small quantity given until the egg passes. If an ordi- 
nary fowl we advise killing for the table before fever sets in. 
If the hen is valuable it may pay to give her careful atten- 
tion until relieved. The following has been recommended: 
One grain calomel, one twelfth of a grain of tartar emetic 
and a quarter of a grain of opium, made into a pill, and ad- 
ministered every four hours. In the first pill the quantity of 
calomel and opium may be doubled. The chances are small 
that a hen which has become egg- bound at any time will be 
of any value afterwards as a layer. 

CROP-BOUND. 

When a fowl's crop is hard and about twice as large as it 



DISEASES. 129 

ought to be there is something- that prevents the contents 
from passing- into the gizzard. This trouble is called crop- 
bound, and to unbind it pour some warm water down the 
throat and then carefully knead the crop until the contents 
are somewhat softened, then hold the fowl's head down, open 
the beak and work at the crop a little longer. After this, give 
a tablespoonful of castor oil and shut the fowl up for ten or 
twelve hours without food. At the end of that time if the 
crop is not empty, or partly so, cut it open and remove the 
contents. Make an inch and a half opening in the upper part 
of the crop. Have a small sharp knife, and be .careful not to 
cut any of the large blood vessels. After the removal, oil 
your finger (use sweet oil) and pass it carefully as far as 
possible down the passage toward the gizzard so as to be 
sure that there is a clear track for future meals. Take two 
or three stitches in the crop, also in the outer skin, using 
care that you do not sew the one to the other; use silk 
thread. Shut the fowl by itself and feed lightly on soft 
cooked food for ten or twelve days, giving no drink for two 
days after the operation. Some prefer warm lard to water. 
Sweet oil may be used. 

SCABBY LEGS 

are due to minute parasites too small to be seen, but which 
rapidly multiply. Scabby legs make the bird a filthy, disa- 
greeable object. To cure it is easy if taken in hand when it 
begins to make its appearance, as an ointment composed of 
one part coal oil and two parts lard will clear it entirely off, 
but when the legs become thickly covered with heavy scales 
or shales, some work must be done. First scrape away as 
much of the scale as possible, and grease the legs, from the 
thighs to the toes, with the following ointment: Gas tar, 
one gill; lard, one gill; carbolic acid, one teaspoonful; coal 
oil, one tablespoonful. Wash and dry the legs after scraping 
them, and rub the mixture on well. Do this every week, re- 
peating the rubbing and scraping, and as the parasite which 
causes the disease will soon succumb to the ointment, the 
scale will gradually come off. The best plan is to use the 
ointment early and often, as the disease is contagious. 

Another Remedy.— The above remedy is the one pre- 



130 LLOYD'S MODERN POULTRY ROOK. 

scribed by P. H. Jacobs, editor of the Poultry Keeper. The 
following' is one given by Fannie Field, the noted poultry 
keeper of Massachusetts. Dip the fowl's legs into coal oil 
and hold them there until the oil has had time to pene- 
trate beneath the scales and kill the parasites that do the 
mischief. These applications, with intervals of a day or two 
between, will generally effect a cure. The scales will loosen 
and fall off. Do not try to hasten their departure by rubbing 
or scraping them off. Rub the legs carefully every day with 
melted lard or sweet oil until they are smooth and well. 
Scaly legs or scabby legs are contagious. That is, the para- 
sites go from one fowl to another till the whole flock is af- 
flicted unless their "run" is stopped; hence the first affected 
fowl noticed should be at once dealt with. 

To us the Fannie Field remedy seems the simplest. 

FEATHER-EATING 

is a vice rather than a disease. Like all bad things, it con- 
taminates all within its reach, so when a fowl is noticed do- 
ing the unclean thing the surest way to stop the ill effects of 
this bad example is to use the hatchet and put the offender 
in the pot. If a valuable bird it may be broken of the habit 
by the use of a bridle which can be bought for a few cents. 

A Remedy recommended by some is this: Make an 
ointment of sulphur, kerosene, lard and carbolic acid. Anoint 
that part of the plumage that is being pulled out, and the 
offender, not relishing this "sauce," may soon stop its offense. 
One poultryman fed his flock feathers and they soon got 
disgusted with such fare and behaved themselves. It is very 
seldom a busy flock has any feather-eaters among them. It 
is idleness that begets the evil. Keep the flock scratching, 
hustling. 

INDIGESTION. 

When a bird walks lazily about, with little appetite, 
hardly touching ordinary food, while droppings are scanty 
and unhealthy in character, it is pretty certain something is 
wrong with its digestion. The causes vary, but the treat- 
ment should be the same. Give daily five grains of rhubarb 
changed every fourth day to one grain of calomel. Restrict 
the diet to a small allowance twice daily of soft, well cooked 



DISEASES. 131 

food. Let the fowl drink after each meal, then remove the 
water vessel. A little finely cut green grass may be given 
several times a day. 

ENLARGEMENT OF THE LIVER. 

Very often simple indigestion neglected may termi- 
nate in serious enlargements or other disorders of the 
liver. Overfeeding — especially with highly seasoned foods — 
or other errors in diet, and lack of exercise may be the cause. 
The symptoms are laziness and lack of appetite, with a 
sickly, yellowish look about the head and comb. If there is 
much enlargement of the liver, treatment is of little avail 
and the hatchet would be the best thing to use; but as there 
is no way of telling the size of the liver until after death, 
there is a desire to put off death as long as possible. The 
rations must be cut down. Give a grain of calomel every 
other day for a week, give as much range as possible, and 
feed green onions. 

LIVER COMPLAINT. 

In the Iowa Homestead a reader says: One of my chick- 
ens died. It stood around, with its head drawn back to the 
wings. The head looked pale, and of a yellowish tint. The 
bird grew light to about half its natural weight. The crop 
was entirely empty, but the stomach was as hard as a rubber 
ball, and on opening it I found it filled with gravel and small 
straws. It had an inflamed look. The inside skin was loose 
from the outer part, about two-thirds around. The drop- 
pings were yellow and white, and thin, as in dysentery. Is 
the disease contagious, and can you suggest a remedy? 

Part of the symptoms point to the common trouble of 
"growing light," a liver complaint. Probably you noticed 
when you dissected the bird, that the liver had an unnatural 
color, and a rotten or cheesy look. When alive, a fowl 
suffering from this complaint has a regular jaundice and 
bilious look, with diarrhea at one time and costiveness at 
another time. There is no positive remedy after the trouble 
once seats itself. In the early stages, when the bird seems 
mopish, and the blood seems to leave the comb and wattles, 
the disease can be checked by giving a family liver pill. Re- 
peat the dose in a day or two. Remove the bird to separate 



132 Lloyd's modern poultry book. 

quarters, and feed a warm mash of bran and a little corn 
meal or middlings. . .Give a little whole wheat at night. A 
little condition powder added to the morning mash will 
greatly aid a cure. Give plenty of green food. Cabbage 
hung up in the hen-house furnishes excellent greens for fowls 
in winter. The disease "growing light," is not contagious, 
but at the same time the sick birds should be removed to 
warm and dry quarters. 

BUMBLEFOOT REMEDIES. 

A Poultry Keeper reader says to the man that com 
plains of bumblefoot in heavy chicks: "Don't let them roost 
at all, but throw some straw on the floor of the house and 
let them sit on it, turn it over once in a while and mix in the 
droppings; when it becomes foul mix with stable manure 
and save it for the garden. For bumblefoot use an oint- 
ment: Tincture iodine, one ounce; oil origanum, one ounce; 
lard, one half pound. Mix with lard, warm first; don't leave 
near a flame as it is very volatile." — J. McKenzie, Pennsyl- 
vania. 

Take the bird to the cellar or some warm house, if in 
winter, then prepare a poultice made of bread and milk. 
Take a dish of warm water and place the bird's foot in it for 
a few minutes. After soaking it wash the foot clean and 
wipe dry, then place the bird between your knees, take the 
foot in your left hand, and with a sharp knife cut across the 
bumble down to the bone. Then make another cut across 
the swelling, making the letter X, then press the matter out. 
It will be a thick, cheesy substance. Now apply the poul- 
tice, first sprinkling on a little pepper. Leave the poultice 
on for twelve hours, then change by putting on a new one as 
before. This may remain on for twenty-four hours, then 
take it off and wash the foot with warm milk and water, and 
apply a cloth smeared with pine tar. Leave that on for one 
week, and when it comes off the foot will be well. — "H. B." 
Iowa. 

DEBILITY 

in chicks is of ten caused by rapid growth of feathers. Feed 
plenty of meat, give other food in variety four or five times 
a day. Give of Condition Powder No. 1 (page 134), about 






DISEASES. 133 

half a teaspoonful to each ten quarts of soft food. Also, 
give a teaspoonful of the tincture of iron to each gallon of 
water. 

WORMS. 

Sometimes worms are at the bottom of the "out of or- 
der' ' condition of the poultry. If worms are noticed in the 
evacuations, there need be no doubt of the trouble, and the 
fowls should each be given a piece of camphor gum the size 
of a marrowfat pea. Twelve hours after give another dose of 
castor oil (teaspoonful) and put a teasponful of sulphur and 
a tablespoonful of powdered charcoal in each pint cf the soft 
food two or three times a week. If there are deaths in the 
flock from unknown causes, it often pays to examine the 
dead fowls. If worms are found treat for them. Occasion- 
ally "crop-bound" may be caused by worms, or worms may 
be present in connection with that disorder, if they do not 
cause it. Not long ago a person wrote to me: "My old tur- 
keys dump around for two or three days with some matter 
running from their beaks, while they try to swallow. One 
of them died. I opened it, and upon examination found its 
craw full, and, oh! so sour, and just lined with little white 
worms." In such cases we would advise treatment as for 
crop-bound, followed by that recommended above for worms. 

SWELLED EYES 

are due to drafts or sudden changes in weather. Wash 
the heads with warm water, and touch a drop of glycerine to 
the eyelids. 

CHILLED CHICKS. 

When young chicks are caught in a shower, fall into the 
swill barrel or wander through dewy grass and get "chilled 
to death" there is sometimes life left but it needs to be 
warmed up or else it will soon go out. If the chick is still 
able to stand up. drying it off well with warm flannel and 
then placing in a warm place — the oven of the kitchen stove 
is the most common place on the farm where brooders are not 
had — will usually bring the little fellow back to life and 
actively. When the patient is stiff and cold more heroic 
measures are needed. Take the chick by the beak and both 
legs and plunge it into water at 120° at least. Keep the 



134 LLOYD'S MODERN POULTRY BOOK. 

nostrils and eyes out but let all the rest go under. As the cold 
body cools the water off, add more hot water to keep up the 
temperature. If he begins to kick and struggle do not treat 
him harshly, but soon remove him and dry off as mentioned 
above and give him a warm place, well wrapped in warm 
flannel. This treatment will not bring a dead chick to life, 
but it will cause many a chick to live that would otherwise 
stay : 'dead," when cold and stiff from being chilled. 

CONDITION POWDER NO. 1. 

Carbonate of iron, one ounce; anise seed, two ounces; 
powdered ginger, six ounces; mustard, one ounce; line salt, 
two ounces; sulphur, two ounces; licorice, four ounces; 
powdered charcoal, fourteen ounces. Pow T der and mix thor- 
oughly. Keep in a tight vessel, fruit-can for instance. A 
teaspoonful of this to ten quarts of soft food daily will often 
be of service in keeping the flock in prime condition. 

CONDITION POWDER NO. 2. 

This powder is more in the way of an appetizer and gen- 
eral invigorator than a medicine, and may be given daily 
with good results. The amount to be fed is a tablespoonful 
to five hens. Take two pounds linseed meal, four ounces 
phosphate of soda, two ounces chalk, four ounces gentian, 
one ounce ginger, four ounces charcoal, one ounce salt. Have 
all nicely powdered and mix thoroughly. 

DOUGLASS MIXTURE, 

the tonic most often recommended for poultry, is made 
as follows: Dissolve a pound of copperas in two gallons of 
water; then add two ounces of sulphuric acid. Put in stone 
jug and keep well corked. The dose is a tablespoonful to 
each quart of drinking water. When handling the sulphuric 
acid be careful, as it is poisonous. 



CHAPTER V. 
TURKEYS., DUCKS AND GEESE. 

RAISING TURKEYS. 

If one intends to raise turkeys and has not a large range 
for them, where there is no danger of their continually- 
bothering the neighbors, he had better turn his attention to 
something else, as turkeys are naturally of a very wandering 
disposition and can not be successfully raised in confinement. 
If you can keep turkeys without trespassing on the rights of 
others, you will find them a profitable adjunct to general 
farming. Many farmers, farmers' wives and daughters 
would find it more profitable and really no more work than 
raising chickens. But there is need of patience and perse- 
verance; do not be disappointed if over half the young turks 
die the first year — probably more will live the second. 

WOMEN AS TURKEY-RAISERS 

are usually much more successful than men, and especially 
those who have brought up families, since, for the first few 
days of their lives, the poults need nearly as close attention 
and care as babies. 

When starting in do not begin on too large a scale, then 
the failure will not be so great financially. A few sittings 
of eggs may be bought of a reliable dealer. 

A better way may be to get a gobbler and two or three 
hens of pure breed. If there are good common hens in the 
neighborhood and the capital is very limited, a gobbler alone 
might be purchased; but many consider it cheaper in the 
long run to have all thoroughbreds from the start. Do not 
buy too heavy a one if to be mated with common hens, as he 
may injure them. It is held \>y some that the birds should 
be two years old, as "yearlings" are not fully matured and 
their offspring would be weak. Others claim that a yearling 



136 Lloyd's modern poultry book. 

gobbler and hens two years old give as good poults as any 
matings. 

The idea that turkey eggs will not hatch well after 
transportation or under hens is a mistaken one. Turkey 
eggs fresh and fertile, from healthy breeding stock, and 
properly packed, will bear shipping just as well as hen's 
eggs and will hatch just as well under a hen as they would 
under a turkey. In fact, some people find that during the 
first few weeks after hatching, the poults are more easily 
cared for with a hen than with a turkey. 

Before getting your turkey eggs to set make sure of your 
sitter; have a steady, reliable hen, one which can be relied 
upon to stick to her jcb until it is finished, and have her sit 
where the other hens cannot interfere with her. 

Some breeders give seven Turkey eggs for a sitting, oth- 
ers nine, others thirteen, but seven eggs are enough for one 
hen. Whenever it is possible to do so, set turkey eggs out^ 
doors on the ground. By making the nest in a bottomless 
coop and placing a lath or wire pen in front of the coop 
where you can feed and water the sitter, the hen is secured 
from all annoyance by other fowls and all danger from foxes 
and skunks by night. 

Dust the hen well with insect powder to begin with, and 
again in ten days, and yet again three days before hatching 
time. Beyond this and the regular daily feeding and water- 
ing, let the hen run the business herself when she is sitting 
on the ground. But if for any reason she sits elsewhere it 
will be well to sprinkle the eggs with tepid water daily dur- 
ing the last ten days of incubation. Do this just at dusk, 
carefully lifting the hen from the nest for that purpose. 

The gobblers may be kept until four years old and the 
hens until five. If many hens are kept some of the best 
should be selected each year to keep up the stock; when the 
gobbler grows old get a new one not related to him, as 
turkeys very quickly show the effects of inbreeding. 

One gobbler is sufficient for a dozen hens; more have 
sometimes been kept with one, but it is not advisible. If he 
is very large and tears the hen's back in trying to keep his 
hold, cut off the inside toe nails with a sharp knife. 



RAISING TURKEYS. 137 

STARTING A FLOCK. 

If turkey fowls are purchased, when laying time arrives, 
nesting places should be prepared for them — old broken bar- 
rels "accidentally" cast in an out-of-the-way place, a heap of 
brush or a few loose boards "dumped" into a fence coimer 
will just suit the hens. Turkeys want to hunt up their own 
nests and may wander off where the eggs will be hard to find, 
but if they are kept tame by kind treatment and convenient 
places fixed for them, there will not likely be much trouble 
in getting the eggs. While the weather is cold or damp they 
should be gathered every day and kept in a cool, dry place — a 
few porcelain or other nest-eggs being left in their stead. 

The first eggs may be set under hens, giving seven to nine 
apiece; if the hen cannot be set on the ground a sod should 
be put in bottom of nest. After being set a week, if two or 
three hen's eggs are added, the young chicks will quietly aid 
keeping the turks from wandering too far, and thus they will 
be more likely to get home at night. After the weather be- 
comes warm the eggs may be left in the turkey's nest and she 
will sit when she gets ready; if there are not about twenty 
eggs then, more may be given her. If hens are set at same 
time, the poults may all be given to the turkey on hatching. 

Twenty-eight days is the time required for turkey eggs 
to hatch, and the turkey should always sit upon the ground. 

If two or more should want to sit at the same time and 
one can cover all the eggs, give them to her and break the other 
up. She may begin laying a little later, and with care the 
late hatched turks will prove profitable. At any rate the 
gobbler will be more contented; if all the hens are sitting he 
should be shut up, as he may disturb them and the eggs be 
lost, or perhaps he will pay his respects to the chickens, and 
disaster will be sure to follow. 

When sitting the hens should not be taken off to feed, 
but food and water should always be in reach when they 
come off, which may not be more than once in three days. 
Sprinkling the eggs with tepid water will be beneficial. 
Before the day of hatching arrives the hen and nest should 
be carefully treated to insect powder, as lice are almost cer- 
tair death to newly hatched turkeys. When hatching, the 



138 LLOYD'S MODERN POULTRY BOOK. 

hen should be left entirely undisturbed, but a coop should be 
close at hand to receive her and her brood, and she should be 
carefully watched, as she will seize the first opportunity to 
lead them off into damp grass where many will perish. Bet- 
ter than to watch her, will be to place a lath fence or wire 
netting about the nest. 

Do not feed the poults any the first day; on the second 
give them, five times a day, old wheat bread moistened with 
milk, eggs boiled until they crumble easily, and "Dutch 
cheese." Give fresh milk for drink. Continue this food a 
couple of weeks, then make a "cake" of two parts corn meal 
and one of shorts, season with salt and pepper, and use bak- 
ing powder to raise it; finely chopped meat will serve well 
for "raisins." Bake this thoroughly and feed dry, slightly 
moistening the crust. Give sour milk to drink if easily ob. 
tainable. Change gradual^ from one class of food to the 
other. 

If the eggs and milk for the cheese are not at hand, give 
bread crumbs for a few days, and then the "cake" described 
above. If they have plenty of sour milk they will not need 
meat as much as though they had no milk. Feed everything 
as dry as possible, and don't give more than they will eat at 
a time. 

After they get big enough to catch insects and pick up 
food for themselves they do not need to be fed so often; 
night and morning is sufficient if foraging is good. Always 
give them a little grain at night to keep them in the habit of 
coming home to roost, and if their crops are not full, fill 
them. 

CARE AFTER HATCHING. 

For the first few days after hatching, the hens should be 
confined in large roomy coops with dry floors; have little 
yards attached to keep the poults from running away. Then 
for another week or so keep the mother confined, but on 
pleasant days after the dew is off let the poults go in and out 
of the pen at. will. They will not wander far enough to tire 
them out, as they might if the hen were given full liberty 
with them. After that on pleasant days when the dew is off 
the grass the hens and broods may be given their liberty: 



RAISING TURKEYS. 139 

they should be kept shut up on all damp or rainy days. If 
the damp weather continues the coops should be moved into 
the barn or some other place where it is dry and the young- 
"turks" can run about. Have dry earth or sand on the floor. 
If the business is carried on to any great extent it would pay 
to have a turkey shed; this is best made with a shingled or 
tar-papered roof and three closed sides, the front facing 
south and consisting of large folding* doors with windows in 
them, so that when the sun shines the whole may be open, 
but yet there may be plenty of light when it rains; the floor 
should be of sand. Here the coops can be placed and the 
poults have their liberty. 

If turkeys are not kept out of the damp and still be able 
to run about, the majority will be most certain to die, for 
turkeys must be kept dry and must have exercise. This is 
why so many fail to raise turkeys— they do not keep them 
dry during the early weeks of their lives. Of course where 
one has a dozen or more broods to look after it would be a 
big job to get them all to shelter if a sudden shower should 
come up while the poults are out in the fields; but one must, 
as they can stand but little wetting-, either of dew or rain, 
until pretty well feathered, and some of them would be 
drowned, or chilled beyond hope. So where many are raised 
it is advisable to keep the mothers confined to the coop and 
run until the little ones are about six weeks old, moving the 
coops and pens often enough to keep everything clean. This 
shed can be used as a roosting- place in winter and for con- 
fining the birds at any other time. 

If the turkeys do not return from their foraging expedi- 
tions at evening, they should be looked up immediately, as 
the dew may kill them or something- carry them off during 
the night. 

The poults should be watched at all times for lice, and as 
a preventive is better than a cure, dust them frequently 
with insect powder, or brush them with a feather dipped in 
tincture of iodine; don't use kerosene or sulphur. 

If at any time they are caught in a rain or escape into 
the damp grass and get chilled, wrap them up and put by 
the kitchen fire immediately. If very far gone hold in a pail 



140 LLOYD'S MODERN POULTRY BOOK. 

of warm water until they are fully "waked up," then wipe 
off and wrap up. 

When they become fully feathered and the red about 
their heads begins to show, turkeys need very little atten- 
tion except to see that they get to "bed" properly and have 
had plenty to eat. To make large turkeys for Thanksgiving 
they must not go hungry for a single day. 

Some two months before you wish to market the first of 
your turkeys, begin to feed them a mash of cooked vegetables 
stirred stiff with bran and corn meal in the morning and 
give buckwheat and whole corn at night. Give them plenty 
of good water; also pulverized charcoal mixed in morning 
food twice a week. If insects are scarce give meat. 

About two weeks before marketing shut up those that 
you want to keep over or until later in the season, and let 
those to be fattened have free range (turkeys often grow 
poor in confinement with heaps of food in front of them) and 
feed them three or four times a day with potatoes cooked 
with corn meal, or corn meal mush made with milk, and 
at night, give whole corn ; some other grain might do 
for a change once or twice. Do not feed more than they 
■will eat up clean, and let the meals be at as long inter- 
vals as daylight will allow If the food is dropped by the 
handful so that they scramble for it, they will eat much more 
than if it is dumped on the ground before they are called up. 

Turkeys reared and fattened in this way will be a profit- 
able investment, though it may appear before attempting, 
or on first trial, to be otherwise. 

Turkeys are subject to the common diseases that afflict 
fowls if they are surrounded by .the same conditions. The 
same general treatment will apply to them as to other 
poultry. The hatchet is the best and quickest remedy; if 
other treatment is desired consult the chapter on "Diseases 
of Poultry." The chapter on "Dressing and Shipping" tells 
how to dress and ship. 

RAISING DUCKS. 

In many respects ducks are more easily raised than any 
other kind of poultry, and it is surprising that so many 



RAISING DUCKS. 141 

pouitry raisers are without these profitable birds as an ad- 
dition to their business. 

It is not necessary to have a large body of water, or even 
a small creek, to successfully raise ducks. Mr. James Ran- 
kin, who raises thousands of ducklings yearly, has found, 
after careful experiments, that he can rear them without 
water, except for drinking- purposes, more profitably than 
with it; as when frequenting bodies of water, a greater or 
less number are always caught by skunks, minks, turtles 
and other animals, and many get lost in mire and mud. He 
also keeps his ducks in limited runs. . 

It is a popular belief that water for bathing is neces- 
sary to secure a good proportion of fertile eggs, but this is 
disapproved by some who have thoroughly tried it. 

Ducks can stand colder weather than chickens, but in the 
northern portions of our country should have a good shelter 
— a low shed with tight roof, open to the south, will do, but 
it would be much better to have it boarded up and plenty of 
windows inserted; gravel is all the floor needed. 

One drake to five or six ducks is sufficient. One draks 
has been kept with seven or eight ducks with good results. 

SPRING DUCKS. 

If you are situated convenient to a good market, the most 
profitable way is to hatch the ducks early and turn off when 
about ten weeks old, for they always command a high price 
in May and June. The old ducks should be kept in good 
condition, but not too fat, throughout the fall and winter; 
one of the best feeds for this purpose is equal parts of corn 
meal and bran boiled with turnips or potatoes with beef 
scraps added. Give them two meals of this a day, and for 
the third, wheat, oats and corn. The corn should be cracked, 
as ducks do not digest hard food as well as chickens. They 
should begin to lay about January 1, and then the propor- 
tion of corn meal and beef should be increased. 

As a duck often lays fifty eggs or more, the first ones 
should be set under hens and, for that matter, all of them, 
since ducks as a rule are not very good incubators. The best 
nest is made by using a sod at the bottom and covering 
with an inch of chopped straw. During the last two weeks 



142 LLOYD'S MODERN POULTRY BOOK. 

of incubation the eggs should be sprinkled with tepid water, 
when the hens are off, as otherwise the ducklings may not 
succeed in getting oiit, as the shells are quite tough. Many 
recommend removing the ducks as soon as hatched and plac- 
ing them in a warm place, to dry off, for if left in the nest 
until all are hatched the older ones are apt to knock the 
empty shells down over the other eggs and effectually im- 
prison the occupants, or smother the newly hatched duck- 
ling by crawling on top of it. 

There is this difference between young chicks and duck- 
lings when hatching time comes. The chick a few hours 
after pipping the shell will be out taking in its surround- 
iugs. Whereas the duckling, which will be ready about the 
twenty-fourth day to break the shell, will lie forty-eight 
hours before it is ready to come out. At this time it is 
necessary to keep some watch on the hatching, as the duck- 
ling is apt to get smothered if the pipped side of the egg 
gets turned down. Also the shells should be removed from 
the nest or incubator, to prevent them getting crowded over 
the pipped eggs, and thereby smothering the little fellows 
that are seeking air. If the shell of an egg is pipped, but the 
inside skin or membrane is not broken, it will be well 
to make a small opening through it with a blunt needle. Be 
careful not to prick the duckling. Very often ducklings have 
to be helped from the shells, but do not do this till they are 
kicking around lively; if you do they are apt to bleed to 
death. 

When taken from the nest, place the hen in a coop with a 
little pen around it to keep the ducklings "at home." This 
pen is easily made by setting up six-inch boards and driving 
stakes to hold them in place. Do not give the ducklings 
anything to eat during the first twenty-four hours of their 
lives, then feed every two hours, hard boiled eggs with bread 
crumbs worked in. Do not boil the eggs too hard; just so the 
yolk is sticky is considered best by most successful breeders. 
If you use a tester and remove the infertile eggs from the 
nests, keep them, for they will be just the thing for early 
feeding. Be sure to have plenty of water in shallow tins so 
that the ducklings can not get themselves wet; but they eat 






RAISING DUCKS. 143 

so rapidly that they will choke themselves if they do not 
have an abundance to drink. 

FEEDING DUCKLINGS. 

If you have plenty of egg's continue feeding them, mixed 
with bread for a week or more, then gradually change to 
corn meal and bran or middlings half and half, cooked in 
sour milk if easily obtained; if not use water and baking 
powder. Always put some meat in the mixture. Feed this 
quite dry four times a day and give chopped grass or other 
"greens;" if these can not be secured, cut up clover hay and 
steep in hot water. Ducks to do well must have plenty of 
green food. Do not give them milk to drink as they will be 
sure to daub themselves with it and get their down pulled 
out. A little sand is often added to the food to help diges- 
tion. The ducklings should be kept from the water until 
they are feathered, as their down is no protection and they 
are easily chilled, with fatal results. They should be fed all 
they will eat up clean, and should be kept growing rapidly. 

When six weeks old, three meals a day are sufficient; the 
proportion of meat and corn meal should continue to be in- 
creased until at eight weeks their feed will be about three- 
quarters meal, the remainder being bran or middlings (or 
better both), meat and green stuff. 

With this treatment the ducklings at ten weeks of age 
should weigh about five pounds each, if of the larger breeds 
— the Pekin is considered the best, as it grows very rapidly, 
and the pin-feathers do not show as much as those of the 
dark-colored varieties. 

Always save your breeding stock from the best of your 
earlier hatchings, if you wish to get strong, early ducks 
another year. Do not crowd these with fattening foods. L 

LATE DUCKLINGS. 

If there is no convenient market for "green" ducks, as 
they are called when fattened young, or for any other reason 
it seems best to keep them until fall, it is not necessary to 
hatch so early or crowd them so, and this lessens the ex- 
pense of raising, but it still more lessens the profit. 

If ducks are raised in large numbers it will pay to have 



144 LLOYD'S MODERN POULTRY BOOK. 

an incubator and brooder, and thus spare the worry and loss 
occasioned by fickle hens not wishing to sit at the proper 
time. Chicks may be hatched in December and January , and in 
this way the incubators and brooders can be pressed into doing- 
double duty. The chickens grow more slowly than the 
ducks, and will be ready to turn off about the same time. 

PICKING DUCKS. 

Duck feathers always bring a fair price, especially white 
ones, and should be saved when dressing the ducks, if they 
are sold dressed; if not sold dressed do not pick just before 
selling. The amount received for the feathers ought to pay 
for the dressing. 

The breeding ducks may be picked several times a year, 
generally four to six. Do not pick until the feathers are 
"ripe," which can be told by pulling a few from different 
parts of the bodies of several birds. If they come out 
easily, without any bloody fluid in the quill, they are all 
right and should be "picked" or many will be lost. In pick- 
ing pull only a few feathers at a time by taking between the 
thumb and forefinger and giving a quick, downward jerk. Do 
not pull the bunch of long, coarse feathers under each wing. 

Before you begin picking, tie the duck's legs together with 
a bit of listing or other soft cloth and if the duck is inclined 
to object to the picking by thrusts with the bill, slip an old 
stocking or something of the sort over its head. Use no 
unnecessary harshness with any of the birds and be espe- 
cially careful with laying ducks. Sitting ducks and those that 
are soon to be set should not be picked. In hot weather much 
of the down may be taken from the drakes. Do not take any 
in cold weather. 

In handling ducks do not lift or carry them by the legs. 
Ducks usually lay early in the morning, but are inclined to 
drop their eggs anywhere, so it is best to keep them shut up 
until ten o'clock. Young ducklings should be kept out of 
the direct rays of the sun. 

Whether turned off young or when mature, ducks will 
yield a good profit if rightly managed, and the number rai ed 
need be limited oniy by the capacity of the premises and of 
the man; the latter has much more than the former to do with 



L 



RAISING GEESE. 145 

success in duck raising. No one should go into duck farming 
unless he grows into it from small beginnings. It is doubt- 
ful if there is any one in this country who raises more duck- 
lings than Mr. Jas. Rankin, and he began in a very small 
way years ago with a few common ducks. Now he has many 
incubators, brooders and brooder-houses doing all of the 
work possible in the business. The eggs are furnished by 
high-bred Pekin ducks that are given good care and close 
attention. 

RAISING GEESE. 

Although this country is better adapted (on account of 
the almost unlimited range obtainable) for raising geese 
than the old country, flocks of them are a much rarer 
sight than across the water. In many sections there is only 
an occasional trio or so kept by a thrifty German, who has 
not forgotton the comforts of a feather bed of his own 
raising. 

Geese are great foragers and must have plenty of green 
stuff ; they do better where there is plenty of range with 
convenient water; swamps and marshes are just the thing. 
but upland pastures and abandoned hilly farms do very well 
if water is provided. Many a worn-out piece of ground 
would yield a good profit if used as a goose pasture. The 
low lands along coasts and rivers may also be turned to very 
good advantage to their owners. 

If, in starting out, geese are purchased, it is on the whole 
best to buy well mated old ones. The gander does not 
fully mature until the third year, and the goslings from 
younger parents will not likely be as strong or grow as large 
as those from fully matured birds. But there is neverthe- 
less a redeeming feature in using young birds when extra 
early goslings are an object, as yearling geese will begin to 
lay earlier than older ones. Geese naturally pair, but two or 
three females may be kept with one gander, though he is 
very apt to have a favorite mate and the eggs of the others 
may prove largely infertile. Yet if the favorite begins to 
sit first, he will make love to the others and then there will 
be no trouble the next season; for this reason it is usually 
best to keep the same breeding stock for several years. 



146 LLOYD'S MODERN POULTRY BOOK. 

If the geese are given plenty of vegetables during the 
winter and not kept too fat, they ought to begin to lay in 
February or March and produce fifteen to twenty eggs be- 
fore wanting to sit; often thirty eggs are laid if the birds 
are previously rightly cared for. When ready to begin lay- 
ing, the old goose will usually carry bits of straws or stubble 
around to make a nest with; she should be shut up in a 
roomy kennel or shed-roofed box until she has laid and there 
she will usually return to deposit the rest of her litter. 

HATCHING THE EGGS. 

The first eggs should be set under hens, giving four to six 
eggs apiece; many prefer to have hens do all the incubating, 
as the goose is rather apt to crush the newly hatched gosling. 
The eggs may be .hatched in incubators. If either by this mode 
or by hens, they should be well sprinkled the last two weeks 
of incubation, as the eggs are even tougher than those of 
ducks, and the young goslings will often have to be helped 
out. The time of incubation is twenty -eight to thirty days, 

If the goose is to be the mother she should be left alone 
and the other geese kept from her, as shejwill probably resent 
interference in an unpleasant if not disastrous manner, and, 
especially if the gander is near at hand, as is often the case, 
the intruder may be roughly handled. Food and water should 
be kept near at hand, for if obliged to seek her food the eggs 
will very likely be chilled before she returns. When hatched 
remove the mother and brood to a large coop with a pen 
around it and plenty of shade, as the hot sun is fatal to 
young goslings. If a hen is set a day or so before the goose, 
all the goslings may be given the goose to care for. 

Do not feed anything for twenty-four hours, then give 
same food as ducks for a few daj'S. 

The young goslings should be kept from the water for at 
least two weeks, after which they may run at large with 
their mother unless the weather is cold or rainy, when they 
should be kept under shelter,, As soon as they begin to 
forage a feed of corn meal cooked with vegetables should be 
given morning and evening for several months; and they 
should be shut up at night. After this feed only whole corn 
at night if it is desired to raise them at little expense. They 



RAISING GEESE. 147 

grow rapidly and are soon out of danger of chilling and are 
very free from disease. 

If desired they may be sold as "green geese" when from 

six to eight weeks old; in this case they should be crowded 

from the start. Unless designed for breeding stock or kept 

for their feathers, they should be sold before a year old, as 

'old' goose is tough and brings a low price. 

FATTENING FOR MARKET. 

When fattening, feed three times a day on cooked corn 
meal and potatoes. (To be at their best they should have 
been fed at least twice a day frcm the very start). Geese are 
very fast friends, and when only part are being fattened the 
others should be kept out of sight or they will very likely pine 
for them and lose flesh. When marketing kill all of one lot at 
the same time, or the result just mentioned will follow. 

Goose feathers always command a high price and should 
be plucked twice or thrice a year, according to climate. A 
good goose will yield a pound or more of feathers annually. 
In picking, follow the directions given for picking ducks. 

Even though you have no suitable place to rear geese, 
but wish to enjoy the luxury of a home-grown bed or the 
royal repast of Christmas goose, a few may be profitably 
raised by herding them on the street, like cattle, and giving 
water for drinking only. 

Many may have neglected to engage in this remunerative 
industry because of che common belief that geese are such 
"awful" eaters, but since, as has been mentioned, they live 
principally on grass during the summer, the cost of their 
feed is not great, considering the profit to be gained. 



CHAPTER VI. 

CAPONS AND CAPONIZING. 

Capons are castrated cockerels, and when fattened are 
called the "finest chicken meat in the world." When capon- 
izing, as the operation is termed, was first practiced is un- 
known; it was in vogue as long- ago as Shakespeare's time 
and has been very commonly and popularly carried on in 
France for many years. In some sections of a few Eastern 
States capons have been quite numerous for a few years, and 
the demand for them has increased their production, till now 
they are found quite frequently in the leading poultiw 
markets of the East, and for two seasons at least, have not 
infrequently been seen upon the Chicago market. 

A capon is neither hen nor rooster — he is a capon, and the 
reason that so much has been said about him in poultry and 
agricultural papers of late is that the makers of caponizing 
instruments have taken advantage of the fact that he sells 
for more per pound than either in the market, and usually 
weighs more at a given age than a rooster, to push their 
goods by showing the vast profit between having a lot of old 
roosters around and a lot of fine capons to turn off that have 
eaten no more than the cheap "drug on the market" rooster 
In doing this they have done good missionary work towards 
reducing the number of cockerels that are annually allowed to 
grow from nice broilers or spring chickens to old roosters, 
and have spread broadcast much valuable information and 
furnished full directions for caponizing. 

A set" of caponizing* tools usually consists of the follow- 
ing instruments, put up in a neat case, as shown in the illus- 
tration, with full directions inclosed: 

Figure 1 — Cords for quickly securing fowls to the table, 
rendering them unable to struggle in the least. 

Figure 2 — Knife or Lancet for making incisions. 



CAP0XS AND C A PONIZING 



149 



FIGURE 3 — A Spring Spreader for holding ribs apart after 
incision is made, and so constructed as to automatically suit 
any size fowl. 

Figure 4 — Sharp Hook to pick open the film-like skin 
after incision is made, with knife. This skin must always 
be picked open before you can proceed with the operation. 

Figure 5 — Probe for pushing back intestines when they 
crowd testicles, aiding the learner to slip loop over testicle 




easily, and is also used to discover any foreign substances 
that may find their way into the cut before the operation is 
finished. 

Figure 6 — Caporiizing Canula. 

Figure 7 — Curved Spoon Forceps,, for removing any 
foreign particles that may remain, such as feathers, etc. 
These are used in conjunction with probe (Fig, 5)» 

The Directions for Caponizing, as given by Geo. P. Pill- 
iug & Son, Philadelphia, which are essentially the same as 
given by all manufacturers and may be relied upon, are as 
follows: 

From twenty-four to thirty hours before performing the b op- 
eration, select such cockerels as you intend to caponize (these 
should be from two to three months old), confining them in 
a clean and airy coup or room without either food or water. 
The best time to confine them is at early morning, as their 



150 Lloyd's modern poultry book, 

long fast will then end about noon of the following" day, at 
which time the operation is best performed. Should the day 
be cloudy or wet do not caponize them, but let the operation 
go until you have a bright and fair day. It is necessary that 
you have all light possible in the matter. If it be a cloudy 
day, and you decide not to caponize, the birds may be given 
a little water or food if necessary, but it is much better to 
avoid this, if possible, as it is very desirable to have their 
intestines quite empty, thus allowing their testicles to be 
more readily seen, besides giving the operator much more 
room in which to perform his work. Lay the bird on the 
operating table on its left side. Wrap the cord (Figure 1), 
twice around the bird's legs above the knees. In making one 
wrap only there is danger of the birds kicking themselves 
out of the loop. Hook the other cord once around both of 
his wings close to the body. To the opposite end of these 
cords attach a half brick or some equal weight, letting them 
hang- over the sides of the table. This holds the bird securely. 
Have all your instruments in readiness that you may work 
quickly. Thread the Canula (Figure 5) with a strong and 
long horse-hair or fine steel wire (we think wire the best), 
letting the wire form a loop at the curved end and well out 
at the other -end. Now after slightly wetting the spot pro- 
ceed to pluck the feathers from the upper part of the last two 
ribs and just in front of the thigh joint. Pull the flesh on 
the side down toward the hip, and when the operation is fin- 
ished the cut between the ribs will be entirely closed by the 
skin going back to its place. While holding the flesh back 
with the left hand, with the right hand take the knife (Fig- 
ure 2) and insert it (cutting-edge away from you) between 
the last two ribs, cutting first down and then up a little 
ways, following the direction of the ribs, making the cut not 
over one inch long. Cut deep enough to go through the skin 
and ribs, being very careful not to go so deep as to cut intes- 
tines. There is little danger of doing this, however, if they 
are empty, as they will be from the bird's long fast. The 
danger of cutting the intestines is when they are full, as in 
this state they press against the ribs. Should the cut bleed, 
stop a moment, let the blood clot on the thin skin covering 



CA1-ONS AND CAPONIZING. 151 

the bowels, and then remove it with Curved Spoon For- 
ceps (Figure 7). 

Now take the Improved Spring- Spreader (Figure 3), press 
it between the thumb and finger until the ends come to- 
gether, inserting the ends in the incision with the spring end 
toward the bird's feet (see operating table). Upon 
looking into the cut a thin tissue-like skin will be seen just 
under the ribs and enclosing the bowels. Take the sharp 
hook (Figure 4) and pick the tissue open so that you may get 
into the bird with the instruments. The breaking of this 
skin does not cause the least pain to the bird. One of the 
testicles will now be brought plainly to view lying close up 
to the back of the fowl. Sometimes both testicles are in 
sight, but this is not generally the case, as the other one lies 
beyond and more on the other side of the bird, the intestines 
preventing it from being seen from this opening. The testi- 
cle brought to view is enveloped in a film. This should be 
brought away with the testicle. Some people in caponizing 
tear the skin open and then take the testicle out. The danger 
in so doing is that if this skin is left there is danger of caus- 
ing a "slip." 

Now comes the only dangerous part of the whole oper. 
ation— getting hold of and removing the testicles. But with 
a steady hand and plenty of light not one bird in a hundred 
should be lost. Attached to the testicle and lying back of it 
is one of the principal arteries of the fowl, and if this is rup- 
tured it is sure to cause death. It is here that the improved 
Canula (Figure 5) proves of the greatest advantage. The 
hair (or wire) being small and very fine is easily slipped be- 
tween the testicle and artery without injury to either, a 
clear, clean cut made that no other instrument can do. Take 
the Canula in the right hand and adjust the hair (or wire) in 
it so that a loop about one-half inch long will extend from 
small end of tube, leaving the two ends of the wire extend- 
ing far enough out of the open end to secure a good hold. 
Insert the end of tube that has the loop on it very carefully 
and slip the loop over both ends of the testicle and entirely 
around it, hold end of tube close down to the testicle. When 
the testicle is entirely encircled by the loop, take both 



152 LLOYD'S MODERN POULTRY BOOT*. 

ends of wire (or horse hair) which comes out of the other end 
of tube with thumb and first finger, holding it tight, and 
draw up on it carefully but firmly, being particularly careful 
to have the loop around testicle. Keep end of tube very 
close to testicle all the time. If drawing up on the wire does 
not at once cut testicle, slightly turn from one side to the 
other (but not entirely around), then the testicle will come 
off. After removing it. carefully examine inside of bird to 
see that no piece- is left in, and also to see that no foreign 
substances, such as feathers, etc., have gotten in. If any 
have, it is necessary to remove them, for, if allowed to re- 
main they are liable to cause inflammation. Sometimes a 
feather or part of the testicle may drop among the bowels; 
if this occurs, move bowels around with probe (Figure 6) 
until the object is found, then remove with Curved Spoon 
Forceps. When the operation is performed remove the 
Spreader at once and the skin will very soon slip back over 
the cut and heal in a short time. Never sew the cut, as it 
will heal just the same as any other small flesh wound. 

The bird can now be turned over on its right side, cut 
made and testicle removed in exactly the same manner as 
just described for the left side. 

Both testicles may be taken out with the one incision 
but to the learner we would say this is attended with more 
difficulty than the two incisions. The other testicle being 
situated so far over on the other side, there is more difficulty 
in reaching it, besides danger in piercing artery running 
back of first testicle. To an experienced party there is no 
danger in removing both testicles from one incision, but to 
those who have not that degree of confidence given by prac- 
tice we would recommend the two cuts. The bird recovers 
just as quickly as though one cut was made, and the opera- 
tion is performed equally as quick, if not quicker. If both 
testicles are removed from one cut, the lower must always 
be taken out first, for if top one is first removed, the small 
amount of blood that may follow will cover lower one, keep- 
ing it from view. 

As soon as the operation is performed the bird should be 
released. Carry him carefully by the wings, taking hold close 



CAPONS AND CAPONIZING. 153 

to the body, to a cool coop or room without roosts or fixtures 
to induce flying, as such exercise is apt to open the wound 
and retard healing-. Give him at once plenty of fresh 
water and all the soft food he wants. He will go to eating 
aDd take care of himself and show no signs that he has been 
in any way molested. The second or third day after capon- 
izing look the birds over, as in breathing, the air generally 
gets under the skin, causing "wind-puff," a slight swelling. 
Simply prick through the skin at the sides with a sharp 
needle. Press the .wind out gently and the capon will be 
relieved. This should be done from time to time for ten days 
or so when the wound will be so healed that it would be diffi- 
cult to tell where the incision was made. At this time the 
capons may be given full range and should be fed as you 
would feed any poultry that issgrowing rapidly. Capons do 
not mature till a year old and will often continue to grow 
till eighteen months or two years old, but usually it is not 
profitable to keep them till that age. Neither is it profitable 
to kill before a year old. The price and the time of year 
when the birds are a year old will help to determine whether 
to kill at a year old or keep a while longer. They are some- 
times kept till older to mother little chicks. 

THE OPERATING TABLE. 

There are numerous styles of tables on which caponizing 
may be done. Some of them are quite elaborate, and have 
considerable machinery about them. For all practical pur- 
poses, the top of an ordinary barrel (see illustration A) 
meets all requirements, admits of the bird being easily se- 
cured, and brings it to the proper height for the operation. 
It costs practically nothing, as an empty barrel may always 
be had for a few cents if there should not chance to be one 
on the place. 

The illustration B shows how a good caponizing board 
(or table) can be constructed by the use of Pilling's Im- 
proved Staple A to slide over the wings of the bird. The 
staple has two fenders, about one inch from the points, to 
prevent forcing the bird's wings too close together, as would 
be the case without them. The cross-bar on staple allows 
you to use the upper part for a handle. This will be found 



154 



Lloyd's modern poultry book. 



very convenient during caponizing. One point of staple is 
longer than the other; this enables it to enter the board 
much easier. By cutting six or seven holes in the board it 
will take any size bird. B is the strap loop with a pin 




Table A — The above, photographed from life, illustrates method 
of holding fowl ready for caponizing. 

across the top to prevent strap from falling through the 
board when not in use. C is the weight (at other end of 
strap) for keeping feet down. 

This table is very good for those who propose caponizing 
on a large scale. The entire construction (as shown in illus- 




Table B— Can easily and cheaply be made and is suitable for those 
who intend caponizing on a large scale. 

tration) is very simple and easily made. For those, however, 
who do not propose caponizing on an extensive scale, we 
would recommend the top of a barrel. Whichever method is 
vised, make it a point to have plenty of sunlight and the table 
so situated that the light will strike squarely on the fowl. 
You cannot have too much light during the operation. 



CAPONS AND CAPONlZING. 



155 



DRESSING CAPONS. 



When your capons are ready for market select and shut 
up those you wish to dress and give them no food or water 




for twenty-four hours previous to killing 1 ; then proceed to 
dress, as described on page 94. When completed, your bird 
will appear as above. 

THE PEOFITS OF CAPONIZING. 

Samuel Cushman, Poultry Manager at the Rhode Island 
Agricultural Experiment Station, has been carrying on a 



156 Lloyd's modern poultry book. 

series of experiments to get at the facts as regards the profits 
in caponizing. During 1891 and 1892 he experimented with 
five different lots. In each case cockerels of the same breed, 
size and age were fed in comparison with those caponized. 
From his : 'summary 1 ' we gather the following facts: 

Caponizing was easily learned and successfully performed 
by following book directions, but more quickly and sat- 
isfactorily by witnessing the operation. 

Birds apparently suffered but little pain from the opera- 
tion and the per cent of loss was small. 

Birds thus changed grew larger in frame, matured later, 
became quiet and contented, did not crow or fight and 
their flesh remained soft and tender. 

Those weighing two pounds or less were most easily and 
safely caponized, but the larger the birds, provided they had 
not commenced to crow and their combs had not developed, 
the more quickly they recovered. 

The only birds that died under the operation were those 
that had developed combs. 

The old Chinese tools, when their use was understood, 
were found most satisfactory of all. 

Of the Brahma-Cochin cross, it was seven months before 
the capons equaled the uncastrated birds in weight, and 
they did not average one pound heavier in ten months. 

The Langshan rooster, although weighing but one-sixth 
of a pound more than the Langshan capon at the commence- 
ment of the experiment, kept ahead in weight for seven 
months. 

The Plymouth Rock capon equaled the roosters in weight 
in less than two months and gained on them the rest of the 
season, but did not average more than three-quarters of a 
pound heavier at any time. 

The Indian Game capons were five months in catching 
up with the roosters and were not a quarter of a pound heav- 
ier eight months after the operation. 

The Brahma-Cochins gained the least during the first 
year, but made the largest and heaviest birds at eighteen 
months. 

The Plymouth Rocks recovered less readily, but they 



CAPONS AND CAPONIZING. 157 

were operated upon when the weather was warmer, fifteen 
days later than the Langshan. 

The Langshan was less affected by the operation, but was 
larger at the time it was performed. 

Indian Games and their crosses were harder to do and 
should be taken when younger. 

These experiments show less gain in weight as the result 
of eaponizing than we were led to expect by published ac- 
counts. The tender flesh and the ability to take on fat 
seemed to be the only gain of importance. 

The plan of sponging the wound immediately after the 
operation with an antiseptic solution, requires further study 
to get definite results. 

By the aid of a physician's head mirror, we were able to 
operate quite satisfactorily by lamplight. 

Those wishing to produce only a limited number of 
capons find it more profitable to secure the services of an ex- 
pert, if one can be found within a reasonable distance, than 
to buy instruments and attempt the work themselves. 

NOTES ON EXPERIMENTS. 

Writers on caponizing compare the price of capons at 
maturity with the price of roosters at maturity. To be sure, 
if the cockerels are to be kept until they must be sold as old 
fowl, meanwhile fighting and running their flesh off, it 
would certainly pay well to caponize and keep them until 
nearly a year old; but they ignore the fact that early cock- 
erels weighing five to six pouuds when they are soft and ten- 
der, will bring as much or more per pound than a nine or 
twelve pound capon that has been kept twice as long. Quick 
returns are desirable, and the danger of loss by disease de 
serves consideration. 

Had the Brahma-Cochin roosters of the second experi- 
ment been killed December 1, when they would have been 
beyond the tender stage, they would have dressed about seven 
pounds each and brought but twelve cents per pound (prob- 
ably several cents less), or eighty-four cents. In July the 
same birds would have dressed about three and three-quarter 
pounds and would have brought thirty-two cents per pound 
or $1.20. If sold a month later, in August, althodgh they 



158 LLOYD'S MODEKN POULTKY BOOK. 

would have weighed more they would have brought less, say 
four and three-quarter pounds dressed at twenty-four cents, 
or .$1.14. This may be compared with a seven-pound dressed 
capon at twenty- two cents in January, $1.65 (forty-five cents 
for five months' feed) or a nine-pound dressed capon at twenty- 
six cents in April, $2.34 ($1.20 for bird in August and $1.20 
for nine months' feed and care). This estimate is based on 
the weights of birds as recorded, and the market prices, 
in Boston, Mass., and New York City. These prices are for 
the very best quality of native fresh dressed poultry. 

We found that capons (Western) were a drug iD the Bos- 
ton market in February, 1892, and could be bought for twenty- 
two to twenty-five cents per pound. The demand is less 
here than in New York, where they are more appreciated or 
better known. 

The sale of capons has been hurt in some instances by sell- 
ing pullets and roosters with small combs plucked like capons, 
but no one who knows need be deceived if the feathers and 
head are left on. When the market is bare of fresh summer 
raised poultry and everything but frozen stock or small- 
sized winter chicks are scarce (from January to June) there 
is a demand for a large tender "roaster" and capons fill the 
bill. They usually bring the best price in April and May 
when they are becoming scarce. Before chickens were so ex- 
tensively raised at all times of the year by artificial means, 
capons brought high prices. 

While visiting the New York markets we learned that 
great quantities of capons are received about January 1. 
The finest specimens and the greatest number are from New 
Jersey. None are received from the East, and those from the 
west are of poorer quality and contain a large proportion of 
"slips," although they are growing better each season. 

At this time (December, 1892) there is hardly a limit to 
the demand for capons weighing eight pounds or over, and 
"Philadelphia" capons bring twenty cents and Western 
eighteen cents. 

Large birds sell the best. The heavier the better. When 
ten-pound birds bring twenty-two cents, twenty-five cents 
will be given for twelve-pounders, and twenty-eight cents for 



CAPONS AND CAPOFIZING. 159 

those weighing" fourteen pounds. Capons "killed at ten or 
eleven months of age are preferred, as they get coarse and 
"soggy" if kept until twelve months old or longer. March 
hatched capons should be killed in January. The birds 
bought in January are placed in freezers and gradually sold 
during the winter. The supply is always exhausted before 
July. Prices begin to rise the latter part of February and 
continue to go up until there are none in the market. They 
are usually scarce in April and May. In the latter part of 
May, 1891, one New York firm could have sold a ton of capons 
at twenty-six to twenty-eight cents per pound in one day if 
they had had them. On July 7, 1892, capons weighing nine 
and ten pounds were selling at retail in Fulton market for 
thirty-five cents per pound. Seasons when grain is high, 
capons are not so extensively produced and the price is firmer. 
Frozen capons cannot compare with those freshly lei lied 
in spring and early summer. 

WHEN TO MAKE CAPONS AND THE TIME TO SJOLL. 

Judging from these results and a study of the markets 
the best chance of profit by the production of capons would 
be in caponizing late chicks that ordinarily would be fit for 
market as broilers or roasters when the prices are the lowest, 
and too old to sell as, tender chickens in January and Febru- 
ary. Cockerels that were hatched in June, July or August, 
especially if of the large, early maturing kind like Plymouth 
Rocks and Wyandottes crossed on Brahmas or Langshans, 
castrated in September, October and November, and marketed 
in March, April, May and June, when they would have 
reached their best, would be the most profitable and bring 
the highesc price. Such birds are often sold alive by the 
pound very low in the city markets or by those who have no 
room to winter them. Farmers who have cheap food, who 
are far from shipping points, and therefore kill and ship all 
at one time in cold weather, might profitably make capons of 
all roosters. Those who keep birds until maturity for their 
own table should do the same. There will be little gained 
by caponizing birds in May or June if they are to be mar- 
keted by Christmas, as the birds have not sufficient time to 
fill out. 



160 LLOYD'S MODERN POULTRY BOOK. 

James Rankin, the noted duck raiser, says; "I had some 
experience in caponizing twenty years ago, and found the 
business very profitable, as the birds readily brought from 
thirty to thirty-five cents a pound, At present, when capons 
bring but little more than half that price, it is not nearly so 
profitable, and for this reason I have given it up. I can get 
out a Brahma chick the latter part of January or the first of 
February, put him upon the market the first of June, when a 
little over four months old, when he will dress six pounds, and 
get $3 for him as a roaster, while a capon which I had capon- 
ized and kept for nearly a year, though he weighed eight or 
nine pounds, would bring me no more money and would have 
cost nearly double in both care and food. So I find de- 
cidedly more money in growing roasters than I can possibly 
find in caponizing." 

Early this month, January, 1894, W. P. Leggett, of New 
York, says: Having looked carefully into the capon business, 
it suits me best to sell my surplus cockerels (100 to 250 per 
year) as they are. Turkeys and the Asiatic breeds of poultry 
take the edge off the capon market. Capons need fourteen to 
eighteen months to get fnll growth. Cockerels, if separated 
from all females early, and kept apart, get fat and develop 
breast very much more rapidly than those of same age run- 
ning with the females, and do not get at all strong, and the 
sinews do not develop or get at all tough; therefore the meat 
is finer flavored and more tender. 

Early-hatched Plymouth Rock and Light Brahma cock- 
erels should now weigh eight to nine and nine to ten pounds 
respectively; capons of same hatch, very little if any more. 
For example, last year I had about 100 cockerels that I held 
till after the New York poultry show to sell as breeders. 
March 31, those not sold, I killed and sold at wholesale in 
Poughkeepsie, receiving eighteen cents per pound dressed. 
Light Brahmas averaged ten and one-half pounds, and White 
and Barred Plymouth Rocks nine pounds. Capons in same 
market were retailing at twenty-five cents, and only weighed 
seven to eight pounds. These cockerels were sold by their 
side for twenty-four cents. 

Bear in mind the market has all to do with the profits. 



CAPONS AND CAPONIZING. 161 

If you are near a city, and can sell at retail or on order, you 
may come out ahead. For if you are going" near your market 
and can deliver a few without loss of time or expense, do not 
compare your profits with one who has to make a trip ex- 
pressly to reach his market. Let me here quote current 
prices from the finest retail market in Poughkeepsie: 
Chickens, good, eighteen cents per pound; extra, twenty 
cents; good capons, twenty cents; extra, twenty-two cents. 

Never having raised cross-bred birds expressly for 
capons, 1 cannot speak of their weights, as I raise only pure- 
bred. It is asserted that first-cross cockerels grow faster 
and mature faster than thoroughbreds. 

Another writer saj^s: k 'The profit in caponizing seems 
to come from buying young roosters in the city market at 
live-weight figures and turning them into capons to feed 
through the winter. Few think it pays to raise capons from 
the eggs." 

It seems to us that the whole question, like all others in 
the poultry line, resolves itself into one of circumstances, 
surroundings, locality and market facilities. At this writing, 
February, 1894, dressed roosters in the Chicago market are 
5% to 6 cents per pound and capons 12 to 12% cents. These 
are not like the prices formerly received in Eastern markets, 
but they show how capons are appreciated. Money has been 
and can be made with capons. There are those who can 
make more with them than any other branch of poultry 
farming. The question for each to decide is, Is it I? 

POULARDES. 

Pullets are converted into poulardes by depriving them 
of the power of producing eggs. In France the ovary is 
usually extirpated. This is needless, as simply dividing the 
oviduct with a sharp knife is enough. The flank is exposed 
as in caponizing, but the incision should be made close to the 
side bone. The lower bowel will then be seen, and close be- 
side it the oviduct, which is easily drawn forward with a 
blunt hook and cut across. This stops the development of 
the ovary, and causes the bird to attain more than its normal 
size. 

Capons and poulardes, as a rule, will weigh about one- 



162 LLOYD'S MODERN POULTRY BOOK. 

fifth more than the same birds in their natural state; but 
the flesh is whiter and more delicate, and the bird is plumper 
upon the table. It seems to us that, however much cockerel 
meat may be be excelled by capon meat, it is hardly 1 worth 
while to take the risk and trouble to poulardize pullets, for 
it is hard to beat a f&t hen roasted, after her usefulness as a 
layer is past. 

(HSlPThe Philadelphia Caponizing Set. with full directions 
for using-, can be had of the Farm. Field and Fireside, post- 
paid, for $2.50. 



CHAPTER VII. 
INCUBATORS AND BROODERS. 

It is now generally admitted that chicks can be hatched 
and raised by incubators and brooders as well as by hens. 
Artificial incubation is no longer an experiment. Thousands 
and thousands of chickens and other poultry are profitably 
reared each year that never see a hen or other feathered 
mother. 

The incubator way has many advantages over the old 
"setting hen." Those who tried to raise poultry before the 
daj's of incubators know how trying it was to have to wait 
till a hen wanted to sit before any early chickens could be 
had ; sometimes it seemed as though biddie would never get 
ready for business, and when she did, if given a sitting of 
choice eggs the probabilities were that she would break 
several, and perhaps go and leave the rest just a few days 
before she should "come off." If none were broken it was 
very often the case that when off for feed the hen stayed 
from the nest so long that the eggs became chilled and the 
hatch was very unsatisfactory. All these troubles are gone 
since the days of incubators. If fertile eggs are put into a 
good incubator you may expect a large proportion of them 
to produce live chickens. 

There are great factories both East and West where in- 
cubators and brooders are turned out yearly. Our Directory 
indicates where some of them are located. Each maker con- 
siders his the best, just as every mother thinks her baby is 
the nicest one, and will point out in what respect his excels 
all others. All incubators that are worthy the name are" 
constructed with the same ends in view — uniformity of heat ? 
sufficient moisture, and conditions as near like the ideal sit- 
ting hen as possible. The way heat is supplied, moisture 
obtained and the eggs cared for differs in the various 



164 



LLOYD'S MODERN POULTRY BOOK. 




mm 



iil 



111 



LATEST IMPROA? 



r ET) no . 2 (200-KGO SIZE) EXCELSIOP. INCUBATOR, 



INCUBATORS AND BROODERS. 165 

machines, and it would be impracticable, if not impossible, 
to give a minute account of them all in a book the size of 
this. Following- is the detailed description of the Improved 
Excelsior Incubator, patented and manufactured by Geo. H. 
Stahl, Quincy, 111. The accompanying illustration shows 
just how the No. 2 size, which holds 200 eggs, looks when 
tilled and reach' for business. As to its construction: The 
wails are double, even to the doors. The outer casing is 
made of thoroughly kiln-dried oak or ash, of first quality 
and paneled. The inner casing is made of pine. This gives 
a wall double all around, with a dead-air space between. This 
combination offers the greatest possible resistance to heat 
and cold, and its non-conducting power is so great that you 
can place the machine in a room where the temperature is 
sixty degrees, regulate it there, and the temperature may 
fall to zero or rise to ninety- five degrees, and the variation 
inside of the machine will be very slight. It has double 
doors, the inner one of glass, through which the eggs and 
thermometer may be seen. The outer one is of paneled 
wood, which is kept closed, except when it is desired to see 
the thermometer or turn the eggs. 

MODE OF HATCHING. 

As the hen supplies the necessary heat to bring forth her 
young 1 by sitting on the eggs, they are heated from above. 
So with the Improved Excelsior Incubator — the heat is sup- 
plied from the top by the use of a tank which is filled with 
water, the water being* heated by a lamp which is fastened 
to the end of the incubator, as shown in cut— the lamp 
chimney extending into the tank heater. 

THE TANK. 

The tank is built of the best grade of galvanized iron 
(heater lined with copper), and where exposed to heat or 
moisture is japanned, making it very durable. There are no 
pipes to clog- xi p or get out of order, and the s tank is easily 
removecl by simply unscrewing- the top of the incubator. 
The tank is so constructed that the water is kept in constant 
circulation through the heater, which keeps it hot, and im- 
parts its heat to all parts of the egg-chamber alike. 



166 LLOYD'S MODERN POULTRY BOOK. 

The manufacturer claims this makes the most success- 
ful heating" device ever used in au incubator. 

THE TWO REGULATORS. 

The regulator is to an incubator what the governor is to 
a steam engine; and as it would be folly to attempt to suc- 
cessfully run a steam engine without a governor it would 
be greater folly to attempt to hatch eggs in an incubator 
that was not furnished with a reliable regulator for upon 
the regulator depends the uniform and proper temper- 
ature and the proper ventilation necessary to hatch eggs. 

On the Improved Excelsior there are two separate regu- 
lators, each acting independent of the other, so that either 
can be used separately or both at the same time -one regu- 
lating the flame of the lamp, the other acting upon a valve 
over the boiler flue, and in a measure controling the tem- 
perature of the water before it enters the tank. 

The first is composed of a thermostatic bar, so placed 
and connected as to give many times the action and power 
of the ordinary rod. It is near the surface of the eggs, so as 
to regulate the heat at that level. This regulator is sensi- 
tive to the least change of heat, and very powerful; and in- 
stead of suddenly changing the flame from one extreme to 
the other - either very high or very low — it regulates the flame 
to give the required heat. The action is regular and gradu- 
ated to the needs of the machine; if in a very warm r om, a 
low flame is produced; if the room grows colder the flame 
increases; and if the temperature of the room continues to 
fall, the flame grows larger until the full power of the lamp 
is turned on. 

There is no clockwork, electric batteries or other con- 
trivances to get out of order. Neither does it require au 
experienced person to operate it, as it takes care of itself. 

The second, or valve regulator, is a single thermostatic 
bar, suspended above the eggs, in the egg-chamber. 

The regulation of the machine is adjusted so that the 
lamp flame will keep the egg-chamber at the right tempera- 
ture. The regulator of the escape-valve is then adjusted at 
104 degrees (or at any desired point); should the temperatm-e 
of the room from any unexpected cause rise above its usual 



INCUBATORS AND BROODERS. 167 

degree enougn to affect the incubator, or should the limp, 
through neglect, fail to regulate perfectly, the valve will be- 
gin to open as soon as the heat of the egg-chamber reaches 
104 degrees, thus making it impossible to overheat the eggs. 

MOISTURE. 

An incubator may not vary two degrees in temperature 
in twenty-four hours, the egg-chamber may be ever so well 
ventilated, and yet a large percentage of fertile eggs not 
hatch, simply because the eggs were not supplied with proper 
moisture. Ample provision is made for supplying moisture 
in the Improved Excelsior Incubator. Shallow galvanized 
iron pans filled with water are placed in the egg-chamber be- 
low the egg trays, and the heat slowly evaporates the water 
sufficiently to supply the necessa^ moisture to the eggs 
above. 

THE EGG TRAYS 

which are furnished with the Improved Excelsior Incubator 
are constructed of a material that, after much experiment- 
ing, has been found to be the best adapted to the purpose. 
The egg tray in the Excelsior is very simple. The eggs can 
be turned a trayful at a time. It is not done by turning a 
crank, but with an extra tray which accompanies each 
machine. This turns every egg without handling them. The 
trays are all made to fit precisely, so that in turning them 
the eggs are not jarred or broken. As shown in the illustra- 
tion the egg trays are in one tier, thus insuring the same 
degree of heat to all eggs. 

THE LAMP. 

The lamp which supplies the necessary heat is an all 
metal safety lamp, constructed especially for the Improved 
Excelsior Incubator, and is supplied with a burner of large 
heating capacity. 

The Cut-Off Burner is also constructed especially fcr this 
machine, and is very simple and reliable. It is made with a 
brass movable sleeve which encircles the lamp-wick. This 
sleeve is raised and lowered to regulate the flame of the lamp ; 
this movement also keeps the burner free from cinders or 
charred wicking, and there is no possible chance for it to cor- 



168 LLOYD'S MODERN POULTRY BOOK. 

rode, get sticky, and consequently become clogged up. Id 
fact, it is a complete success. 

The chimney furnished with the Improved ^Excelsior 
Incubator is also metal, with a mica opening, so thai the 
blaze can be as easily seen and regulated as with a glass 
chimney. A reliable, especially designed incubator ther- 
mometer is furnished with each machine. 

GENERAL DIRECTIONS FOR RUNNING INCUBATORS. 

Every incubator and brooder manufacturer gives specific 
directions for running his machine and caring for the chicks 
after they are hatched and in the brooder, but there are 
some general directions that are applicable to all incu- 
bators: 

1. An incubator can be more successfully operated in a 
room of even temperature, and it should be placed where no 
cold drafts can strike it. 

2. Use fresh, perfect eggs, of even size and shape. No 
rough, ill shaped or overly large ones, or those of under size 
for the breed that produced them. 

3. Keep the temperature of the machine at 103°. Do not 
cool the eggs. 

4. Chickens may die in the shell from too much moisture, 
too high temperature, too low temperature, lack of consti- 
tutional vigor of parents, too frequent opening of the incu- 
bator, or because the eggs are from hens that are overfed 
and fat. 

5. If the temperature is kept too low the chick may 
hatch, but it will be after time; if too high, the chicks may 
come out the nineteenth day. 

6. Do not use eggs picked up anywhere they may be had 
a ad expect success. 

7. Eggs from hens that are confined and overfed will not 
hatch, or will produce puny and weak chicks. 

8. Incubators with a capacity of 200 eggs, or less, will 
give the best satisfaction to beginners — in fact, to anyone, 
unless situated so a larg*e number o£ fresh, fertile eggs can 
be readily obtained. 

9. The down of a newly hatched chick is no protection 






INCUBATORS AND BROODERS. 160 

from cold, and in winter great care must be exercised that 
no chick becomes chilled. 

10. Like full-grown poultry, chicks need exercise. Keep 
them busily scratching in light litter furnished for the pur- 
pose. 

11. Keep currents of air from passing over the chicks 
when in the brooders. If bowel disease appears it is usually 
due to colds induced principally from lack of warmth at 
night. 

12. When chicks droop and appear sleepy, look for large 
gray lice on the heads or necks. 

13. Dry feed is best for chicks, fed three times a day, 
but scatter millet seed or other small grain in the litter to 
induce them to scratch. A good authority on brooder raised 
chicks says they should have "rolled" dry oats for their first 
food, scattered where they can pick it up. Stale bread 
crumbs, dipped in fresh milk, are also good. These should 
be placed in little troughs. After the fourth day give the 
bread and milk for the morning meal, rolled oats at noon, 
and cracked wheat and cracked corn at night, with occasion- 
ally a little chopped eggs or meat. After they are ten days 
old feed them anything they will eat, compelling them to 
scratch as much as possible. 

14. Supply water in such a way that the chicks cannot 
get themselves wet. Furnish grit in the shape of coarse 
sand, pounded shells, or some hard material. 

15. The main requirement for successful raising of thrifty 
brooder chicks is warmth. If the chicks crowd together at 
night, you may be sure there is lack of warmth. If they 
separate under the brooder they are comfortable. In winter, 
the temperature of the brooder should be not less than 00° 
and not more than 100°. Examine the heating apparatus, as 
well as the position of the chicks, at bedtime, also early 
in the morning. 

16. Keep the brooder clean. 

17. Feed a variety of food, but let cracked wheat and 
cracked corn be a part of the ration after the chicks are old 
enough to eat them. Give cut clover hay for green food. 
Fresh milk may be given, but not sour. 



170 LLOYD'S MODERN POULTRY BOOK. 

BROODERS 

are about as numerous as incubators, and it will answer our 
purpose to here describe only the Improved Excelsior 
Brooder, also made by Geo. H. Stahl, Quincy, Illinois. This 
artificial mother may be used indoors or outdoors — that is, 
may be used in the brooder houses in winter, or out of doors 
in warm weather. The accompanying" illustration gives a 
good idea of this brooder, which, in its construction, is a 
happy combination of the "top" heat and "bottom" heat 
systems. The good points claimed for this brooder are: 

1. An equable heat on all parts of the brood floor. 

2. A perfect ventilation without draft on the chicks. 

3. Entire freedom from chicks crowding. 

4. Ease of cleaning — no small matter. 

5. Freedom from all danger of fire — a paint to be con- 
sidered. 

The construction is thus described: 

The heater box has no bottom, but the top is a metal 
plate. Over this is an air chamber, and above this is a floor 
on w T liich the chickens stand: and over this is the adjustable 
cover, surrounded hy a woolen cloth, notched to allow the 
chickens to run in and out, as they would under the mother 
hen. Under this cover are four warm air pipes through 
which the warm, pure air comes from the air chamber above 
the metal plate. It rises to cover where it flows out, among 
and over the chickens, giving perfect ventilation,' and, at 
the same time, carrying off all poisonous gases, and with 
the warmth of the floor keeping the excrement dry and 
odorless, and in condition to be easily removed with a brush. 
The cover being the same height as the chickens, they can- 
not climb upon each other, and there being no solid corners 
to crowd into, there can be no smothering. In fact, it is a 
perfect mother for chickens. It can be used anywhere. 

If it is desired, the Improved Excelsior Brooder is fur- 
nished with a folding giass cover, as shown in the illustra- 
tion opposite. This cover allows the brooder to be as light as 
possible inside, which some claim is a great benefit to the 
chicks. 



INCUBATORS AND BROODERS. 



171 




IMPROVED EXCELSIOR BROODER. 




IMPROVED EXCELSIOR BROODER, WITH GLASS COVEB. 



LIZ LLOYD'S MODEKN POULTRY BOOK. 

TESTING EGGS. 

In the days of the old hen method of raising" chickens 
the eg'gs were put under the hen and allowed to stay there 
three weeks, if not broken in the meanwhile, whether good 
or bad or indifferent. In these days of progressive incubator 
hatching 1 , the up to-the-time chicken raiser tests the eg'gs he 
places in his machine and removes the infertile ones, reserv- 
ing them to feed his newly hatched chicks. This testing" of 
eg'gs not only prevents waste of raw material, but leaves 
room for fertile eg'gs, and conserves the heat of the incuba- 
tor, as a live chick produces more heat than a dead egg. 

While the majority of persons who have good incubators 
make good hatches, there are some who would make decid- 
edly better ones if they would post up a little on a few im- 
portant points which are easily learned by practice of simple 
and inexpensive experiments. 

Few persons understand testing- eg'gs properly. Some 
have a very imperfect tester; some are unable to detect the 
infertile eggs closely — they cannot distinguish a dead germ 
from a live one, nor a weak from a strong one. 

Alleggsshould.be tested on the fifth or sixth day; at 
this test all clear or infertile eggs should be removed. To 
become expert in testing" eggs during incubation, it is nec- 
essary to have a good tester. By use of a good egg-tester 
and the accompanying illustrations, any person can, with a 
little practice, learn to test eggs rapidly and accurately; 
the illustrations show exactly how the eggs look in the 
tester. 

To become an adept in testing eggs for hatching, one 
has only to use a good tester, his eyes and a little judgment. 
As a lesson or experiment, try this on the fifth or sixth day 
after the eggs have been in the incubator. Break in separ- 
ate saucers (carefully) one which you suppose (after examin- 
ing with the tester and finding as shown i-n Fig. 1 on page 
173) to be a good, strong, fertile egg; one which seems to be 
fertile, but weak; one that is doubtful — that is, one which 
you cannot decide whether it is fertile or infertile, and one 
that seems decidedly infertile. Break one at a time, ex- 



INCUBATORS AND BROODERS. 



173 




~.\\3i-K 







APPEARANCE OF EGGS AFTER BEING IN INCUBATOR. 



174 Lloyd's modern poultry r-ook. 

amine carefully, making- mental note. This first test should 
be on the fifth or sixth day. 

A strong-, fertile egg- will, on the fifth day (temperature 
having been kept at 102°, 103° or 104°) show a dark spot 
which will float and show veins running from it, looking 
somewhat like a spider; a weaker one will show a spot but is 
cloudy looking and muddled. Such eggs are supposed to be 
fertile. Those which look clear are infertile. Do not mis- 
take the yolk for the germ or chick. All infertile eggs are 
not perfectly clear. By breaking a few tested eggs and 
studying their contents, carrying in your mind's eye the 
appearance, presented through the shell before breaking, you 
will be able to distinguish; having broken a strong, fertile 
egg t select another from the unbroken eggs, and see how 
it compares with the former. Then, having broken a fer- 
tile but weak egg, select another from the unbroken ones 
and see how well you can match the germ before you. Then 
break a few apparently clear and infertile ones, and you will 
be surprised to find some fertile eggs among them if your 
tester is inferior, or you are careless. You will also be sur- 
prised to find «how easy it is to train the eye to .detect and 
classify minute things by a little systematic practice. 

There is decided economy in this egg-breaking at the 
commencement of business, for it will save eggs in the end. 

Do not blame the sitting hen or the incubator for poor 
hatches unless you know that your eggs are fresh as well as 
fertile. Notwithstanding the possibility of fertile eggs 
bringing out chicks after being kept even three weeks, we 
never knew any one who did not prefer fresh eggs for setting. 
Some claim they would not have eggs for hatching- that are 
over eight days old at any price — would not use them if 
given them. Others claim just as good results from eggs 
kept for weeks. Here is the testimony of one such: "We 
tried an experiment in that direction. We kept the eggs 
where they were as cool as possible, without freezing, the 
temperature not going'beiow forty degrees nor above sixty 
degrees, and we turned them half around three times a week. 
Eggs that were kept in this manner for six weeks hatched as 



INCUBATORS ANT) BBOODERS. 175 

* 

well as those that were fresh, and the chicks were strong- and 
active."' 

If fresh eggs from healthy hens, fertilized hy vigorous 
cocks, he used, they will hatch a large percentage of strong, 
healthy chickens. 

In explanation of the illustration on page 173, Fig. 1 
shows a strong fertile egg as seen in the tester on [the fifth 
or sixth da} 7 . B, the dark spot, is the live germ; AA are the 
blood vessels extending' out from it. This germ, B, is seen 
b3 r placing the egg against the aperture of the tester, and 
revolving it between the thumb and finger until the side on 
which the germ has formed comes nearest the eye. The spot 
B, will be seen plainly, often surrounded by a small cloud, as 
shown; the germ at this time is quite lively, and can be seen 
to move up and down. This is a strong, fertile egg, and 
should hatch under a good hen or in a good incubator. In a 
well fertilized egg the blood vessels should show plainly, but 
the germ is not always seen as plainly, varying with the 
color and thickness of the shell, and the power of the tester 
used. C shows about the average air bulb in an egg on the 
fifth or sixth day of incubation, though it may vary accord- 
ing to the freshness of the egg, and some eggs have larger 
air bulbs than others. 

Fig. 2 shows a weak or imperfectly fertilized egg as seen 
in the tester on the fifth or sixth day. H is an oblong or 
circular blood vessel which has started, but nothing more; 
there is no heart, nor any part of a chick started. This egg 
will not hatch, but will decay if left in the hatcher, hence it 
should be discarded— removed from the incubator, or from 
under the hen. The small dark spot, G, is a weak germ, 
without blood vessels, only partially fertilized.* It has died 
after a start, and of course will not hatch. Both H and G 

*"A partiallyfertilized germ - ' means one that from one of several causes was 
not strong enough to live and grow. Among these causes are cocks that are too 
old, an insufficient proportion of male birds for the number of females; old or de- 
bilitated hens, overfat hens, too close confinement of breeding stock. 

You may find G (Fig. 2) among eggs which you believe or know are not over a 
week old, and ordinarily the eggs were good arid fertile. It frequently happens 
that an egg will remain in the nest while several, or maybe a dozen hens lay there, 
and the succession of layers keep the egg warm enough to start incubation, or it 



176 LLOYD'S MODERN POULTRY BOOK. m 

may sometimes be seen in the same egg. It will not hatch. 
F, the air space, may be seen in the same egg. The egg may 
be comparatively fresh, and yet show both H and G. 

Fig. 3 shows a stale egg, a clouded egg, a doubtful 
egg. A stale egg is generally distinguished by the 
air space, E, being very large on the fifth or sixth da3', as 
shown in Fig. 3, though all stale eggs do not show a very 
large air space, but when an egg does show it, it is pretty 
good proof the egg' is stale. When an egg shows a clouded, 
muddled appearance, as indicated by D (which generally 
moves about when the egg is turned before the tester) it is 
certainly stale, and will not hatch. Do not confound the 
fresh egg which is not fertile with the stale egg; in an in- 
fertile fresh egg you can see the yolk, which will look some- 
what darker than the rest of the egg, but does not look 
muddled. 

Fig. 4 shows a live egg on the sixteenth day. K is the 
space occupied by the chick; the lines I and J show the air 
space, which may be on top or at the side, as indicated by the 
respective lines. This is about the average air space on the 
sixteenth day, but it will vary according to the thickness of 
the shell, and ag^e of the egg when set; then, some eggs are not 
as full as others. At this stage of incubution (sixteenth 
day) a live chick darkens the egg, except the air space, when 

may happen that some eggs may have been subjected to a heat of 100 degrees, in 
some warm place, unknown to or unnoticed by you. In either case, these eggs are 
taken from the nest or warm corner to a cooler place, and kept a few days, or over 
night, until a sufficient number has been accumulated to set; they become cold, 
and the germ diss before they are put under the hen or in an incubator. 

In testing the first time, on the fifth or sixth day, a dead germ may be mis- 
taken for a live weak germ, and if left in the incubator for three weeks would de- 
cay; so it is always best to test the eggs again on the tenth day, and remove all 
that have been marked doubtful and prove not good. 

Perhaps some may think it is just as well to leave all of them in until hatching 
is finished, but this is not right; the decaying eggs generate objectionable gases^ 
and if broken are very offensive. Besides, a dead egg or an infertile egg does not 
contain the animal heat that a live one does and is apt to have an undesirable 
effect upon the egg next to it, either under the hen or in the incubator. 

An infertile egg— one which has not been impregnated, and in which lite will 
never start or develop— is clear when shown at the tester. This egg, under the 
powerful lens of a first-class tester, will show the yolk, which must not be mistaken 
for a doubtful or a fertile egg. Be sure and use only a good tester. 



INCUBATORS AND BROODERS. 177 

seen with the tester, and, by watching the line I or J, the 
chick may often be seen to move. 

Eggs should be tested in a warm room, one tray at a 
time. 

The chick is harder to see after the seventh day, because 
the egg becomes more clouded by the growing chick. 

HOW TO FEED INCUBATOR CHICKS 

Miss H. M. Williams, of that broiler center, Hammonton, 
N. J., gives the following directions for caring for and feed- 
ing incubator chicks: 

"The chicks, when taken from the incubator, should be 
placed in a brooder, in a warm room, with the thermometer 
of the brooder at 90°. Lukewarm water, and dry pin-head 
oatmeal, should be placed within their reach. They will 
feed as soon as they require it. The second day feed stale 
baker's bread, slightly moistened with hot water and dusted 
with black pepper. The third day feed a hoe-cake made of 
the following mixture: Three quarts feed meal, one quart 
wheat bran, one teacup ground meat, one teaspoonful bak- 
ing soda, three tablespoons vinegar; wet the mass with cold 
water, or skim milk is better if you have it. Don't make it 
too wet, it must be a dry crumble. By dry crumble I mean 
so that it will break up in the hands, then crumble easily. 
Bake in a moderate oven two hours. When nearly cold 
crumble finely and feed. (The hard crusts may be soaked in 
milk and fed to old hens.) 

"This feed may be continued for one week, in addition 
giving chopped cabbage, mashed potatoes and a small por- 
tion of boiled meat. (The proportion of cabbage, potatoes 
\and meat being two tablespoonfuls after it is chopped to 
every hundred chicks.) Give fresh water every morning, 
and never allow the vessels to get empty. There should be 
enough vessels to admit of the chicks drinking without 
crowding and wetting each other as they will do in their 
eagerness to drink, especially in the early morning. At the 
end of ten days they should be removed to the brooder 
house and given the following feed four times a day: Five 
quarts corn, oats and wheat ground together, one quart 
wheat bran, one quart ground meat and one pint bone meal 



178 LLOYD'S MODERN POULTRY BOOK. 

— the whole mass scalded and allowed to stand one hour to 
swell. A small box of ground meat, charcoal and oyster 
shells should be constantly before them. 

"We have discarded hard boiled eggs entirely, substitut- 
ing raw eggs slightly beaten, into which crumble stale bak- 
er's bread enough to soak it all up. Four eggs to every 
hundred chicks may be given to advantage daily. Raw eggs 
seem to correct bowel trouble. Whole wheat may also be 
given with benefit. The chicks can be taught to eat it by 
mixing the whole grains with some that have passed through 
a coffee or bone mill, and been slightly crushed. 

"Chicks cared for in this way can be sent from incuba- 
tor to market in eight weeks weighing two pounds dressed." 

A HOME- MADE BROODER. 

Some who have no incubator wish a brooder, but prefer 
to make one rather than buy; so, also, those who have a small 
incubator and raise only a few chicks. To help such we give 
the following directions for making a home-made brooder, as 
furnished the Rural New Yorker by C. E. Chapman: 

Make a box fifteen inches high and two feet square, for 
100 chicks. Nail strips of tin on the upper edges and put on 
a sheet-iron cover. Cut an inch hole in the center of the 
sheet-iron, and put in an inch tin tube; let it fit tightly. It 
should be eighteen inches long. Make a frame two inches 
high and the size of the box and nail it on top of the sheet- 
iron. Bore some half-inch holes in it on one side so they will 
admit the air just above the sheet-iron. Make another box 
a foot high, the same width, and a foot longer than the first. 
Cut a hole in the floor and fit in a quart can, the bottom of 
which is out; punch an inch hole in the center of the top, 
and several quarter inch ones around it near the top. Place 
the second box on top of the first, and the tin tube will go 
up through the can. Put a piece of tin on the bottom of the 
second box, but keep it from touching the boards by nails 
partially driven in. This is to keep the boards from getting 
too hot, and it need not be over a foot square. Put a door in 
the front of both boxes. The upper box should have some 
glass in the sides and door; cut a hole in the back so that 
the chicks can go on to the feeding floor, and use a piece of 



INCUBATORS AND BROODERS. 179 

cloth to keep in the warm air. The feeding- floor is attached 
to the main box by hinges, and when down rests on the 
ground in a slanting position. Nail slats on it, so that the 
chicks can climb it. A hole cut in its side lets the chicks 
out when the floor is let down. A pin slipped into a hole in 
the end under the feeding floor keeps it from dropping down 
when you do not wish the chicks to go out. Put a slanting 
roof on top of the second box and a slanting addition, with 
doors for a cover, around the feeding floor. Put a pane of 
glass in both doors over the feeding floor, and a sheet-iron 
cover on the second box, before putting on the roof. 

Between the sheet-iron on top of the second box and the 
roof is an air chamber. The small tin tube just comes up 
through the sheet-iron and heats this chamber. A small 
hole in the # end of the brooder lets out the air and the fumes 
of the lamp. Now if a lamp is lighted and placed in the 
lower box the sheet-iron will become hot, and the fumes of 
the lamp ascend to the upper chamber and pass off without 
coming in contact with the chicks. (A tin lamp holding one 
or two quarts of oil is best. Have a large burner and sheet- 
iron chimney. A flat lamp that will not tip over is best; 
any tinner will make one cheap. Let the lamp be set close 
to the sheet-iron, leaving only enough space to prevent 
smoking.) The air above the sheet -iron will become hot, 
and pass up through the quart can into the second box above 
the chicks, near the top. Only a portion of the floor will be 
warmed from below, as the second box is longer than the 
first, and "bottom heat," which many think causes leg weak- 
ness, is avoided. 

I made another stand which stood on legs, and fitted up 
to the brooder so that when the front door was open the 
chicks could go out into it. In this box there was wire 
netting over the top, and grit, water and fine seeds were in it. 
This was intended for an outdoor brooder and is better than 
a "chicken house," as fewer birds are kept together, and the 
air is purer and more uniform in temperature. A thermom- 
eter should be hung inside and the air should be kept at 95° 
to 100° the first week, and at not less than 90° at any time. 
If too warm, the chicks can go outside or out into the feed- 



180 LLOYD'S MODERN POULTRY BOOK. 

ing room, but if too cold they will crowd and smother each 
other, and die from diarrhea. Let them be so warm that 
they will keep apart; use sand or earth on the bottom of the 
brooder; clean out often, and with vigorous chicks all should 
be raised. 

AN INTERESTING EXPERIMENT. 

The following", relating" to an experiment by a French 
scientist, though of little practical use to the incubator man- 
ager, is interesting to any one who finds pleasure in under- 
standing the development of infantile chicken life. 

The shell on either side of an egg was removed, without 
injuring the membrane, in patches about the size of the 
diameter of a pea. In these openings bits of glass were snugly 
fitted. As to the results the experimenter says: 

"I placed the egg with the glass bull's-eye in an incuba- 
tor run by clockwork and revolving once each hour, so that 
I had the pleasure of looking through and watching the 
changes upon the inside at the end of each hour. No changes 
were noticeable until after the end of the twelfth hour, when 
some of the lineaments of the head and body of the chick 
made their appearance. The heart appeared to beat at the 
end of the twenty-fourth hour, and in forty-eight hours two 
vessels of blood were distinguished, the pulsations being 
quite visible. At the fiftieth hour an auricle of the heart 
appeared, much resembling a lace or noose folded down upon 
itself. At the end of seventy-two hours we distinguished 
wings and two bubbles for the brain, one for the bill and 
two others for the forepart and hindpart of the head. The 
liver appeared at the end of the fifth day. At the end of 131 
hours the first voluntary motion was observed; at the end of 
148 hours the lungs and stomach had become visible, and four 
hours later the intestines, the loins, and the upper mandible 
could be distinguished. The slimy matter of the brain began 
to take form and become more compact at the beginning of 
the seventh day. At the 190th hour the bill first opened and 
the flesh began to appear on the breast. At the 194th hour 
the sternum appeared. At the 310th hour the ribs had begun 
to put out from the back; the bill was quite visible, as was 
also the gall bladder. At the beginning of the 235th hour 



INCUBATORS AND BROODERS. 181 

the bill had become green, and it was evident that the chick 
could have moved had it been taken from the shell. Four 
hours more and the feathers had commenced to shoot out, 
and the skull to become gristly. At the 264th hour the eyes 
appeared, and two hours later the ribs were perfect. At the 
331st hour the spleen drew up to the stomach and the lung's 
to the chest. When the incubator had turned the egg- 335 
times the bill was frequently opening- and closing* as if the 
chick was gasping for breath. When 351 hours had elapsed 
we heard the first cry of the little imprisoned biped. From 
that time forward he grew rapidly, and came out a full- 
fledged chick at the proper time." 

REMINDERS ABOUT INCUBATORS. 

To test a thermometer place the bulb under the wing of 
a hen close to the body, shutting the wing upon it. The heat 
should be KM . If the thermometer records 102° it is incor- 
rect, but may be used, only the 102° should be taken as 104°. 
That is, allow 2° for its variation. The heat is the same 
under a hen when she first begins to sit as under one not 
sitting. 

Do not be afraid to watch your incubator during the 
night when you expect 100 chicks to come out. For, though 
an incubator will regulate, it has not brains. 

When the eggs are hatching ask the curious visitor to 
bring his visit to a close. 

No matter how good the regulator, do not expect to have 
a good hatch without work. 

Read as much as you have a mind to about running an 
incubator — experience will teach you more. 

The incubator should be warm before the eggs are put 
into it. 

Remember incubators are not toys to be played with by 
children. They are made for business, and ior that business 
they should be managed with business methods, not child's 
play. 

The best incubator is the one that best suits your wants 
and that you best understand. Each has its good points; 
the one that you can run best is the best for you. 



182 i.loyd's modern poultry book. 

If you expect to run an incubator to its full capacity, 
better have a brooder of twice the capacity of the incubator 
Or, what is better, have two brooders the combined capacity 
of which equals that of the incubator. That is, small brood- 
ers give better satisfaction, at least to the unprofessional, 
than large ones. 

BROODER HOUSES. 

Where the broiler business is extensively carried on the 
brooding of the chickens is done in houses devoted to that 
purpose. These are warmed by various systems, each owner 
selecting the system that best suits his fancy or the size of 
his pocketbook. The illustration on page 183 shows the 
exterior of a good, one where glass is used in the roof. Some 
prefer to put the glass under the eaves. The second illustra- 
tion on page 183 represents the interior of a brooder house 
and shows the arrangement of the brooders. 

EGGS FOR HATCHING. 

To have good eggs for hatching, either in an incubator 
or under a hen, we must first of all have good, healthy, 
vigorous stock to produce the eggs, and to all who con- 
template buying eggs for hatching, I will say, be sure and 
find out just how the fowls are kept that lay the eggs, and 
what condition they are in. 

One very vital point is to see that too many cocks are not 
kept; especially is this the case where all the fowls run to- 
gether, if each cock has his own yard and hens it is not so 
important. Where too many cocks run with the same flock 
of hens the eggs are never good for hatching, for more de- 
formed chicks will be hatched from such eggs than anj 7 other 
kind. 

Exact rules can not be given, of course, but approx- 
imately, the following may be considered about the right 
mating: Leghorns, Spanish, Hamburg and Game, eighteen 
to twenty hens with one good cock, not less than fifteen 
months old for best results. Plymouth Rocks, ten hens with 
one cock. All the large, heavy breeds, including Brahmas, 
and all the Cochin family, five to eight hens with one cock. 

To get a first-class hatch eggs must never be allowed to 



INCUBATORS AND BROODERS. 



183 




BROODER HOUSE. 




t. Outside appearance, as seen from alleyway. 

2. Upper doors and Brood-top removed. 

3. Upper doors removed and Brood-top in position. 



INTERIOR OF A BROODER HOUSE. 



184 



LLOYD S MODERN POULTRY BOOK. 



get dirty; there is but little choice between, a washed egg" 
and a dirty one, and you are not sure of a first-class hatch 
with either kind, although the washed ones, if the washing 
is done with clear water, stand the best chance. 

Some claim there is nothing as good for a nest as clean 
sharp sand, for two reasons; it soon cleans lice off of hens, 
and eggs can never get dirty on clean sand, nothing can 
come off the sand that will stop the pores of the shell. 

Eggs for hatching should always be carefully gathered 
twice a day, and as fast as laid in cold weather; should 
be kept in a cool place where it is neither dry nor damp- 
that is, damp enough to mildew or mold anything. A good 
cellar where the temperature is from 40° to 50° is a good 
place; near 40° the best. 

The proper position in which to place them while being 
held till wanted for setting, is a disputed point; some 
say large end up, some small end up, others on side and turn 
over daily; if they are not kept more than a couple of weeks 
it will make but little difference which end is up. 

Before the eggs are put in the incubator or under the 
hen they should be carefully examined with a good egg 
tester. All that can be done at this test is to see if the 
eggs are fresh and perfect, nothing whatever can be told 
about the fertility, but all eggs that are not perfect both 
in shells and contents should be thrown out; any that have 
small specks of any kind visible inside, all with shells that 
appear cracked, all that have the yolk adhering to the shell, 
those that have thin, rough shells, especially at the large end. 
Use nothing but perfectly shaped, clean eggs if the best re 
suits are expected. 

Incubator manufacturers have egg testers for sale, but if 
you do not wish to buy one, a very good one, for at least this 
preliminary examination, may be made as follows: Have a 
darkened room. In the curtain, blanket or whatever the 
room is darkened with have a hole through which 
light can come into the room. Have a cigar box with two 
egg-shaped holes opposite each other. Over one tack a piece 
of leather or felt in which is an egg-shaped hole iust large 
enough to fit nicely around an egg when placed in It. Hold 



INCUBATORS AND BROODERS. 



185 



the egg in this and before the hole in the curtain, look 
through the opposite hole of the box and you can detect any 
shortcoming's in the egg that you did not observe by day- 
light. The same work can be done at night if a good lamp 
is used in connection with the box. 

HOME-MADE INCUBATOR. 

For those who wish to try their hand at making an in- 
cubator at home we give the following directions for which 
we are indebted to P. H. Jacobs, former editor of the Farm, 




Fig, t; Inner Box. 

Field and Fireside and now editor of the Poultry Keeper. 
It is used at Hammonton, N. J., and the materials cost from 
$6 to $10, according to size. First, get good boards an inch 
thick and a foot wide. Cut them forty-six inches long for 
your floor, and have the floor forty-two inches wide. Place 
four posts, which are twenty-four inches high, at each corner 
(Fig. 1) marked AAA A, and two posts (B B) in front, the front 
posts to be eighteen inches high. Make posts of 2x3 strips 
and nail them securely to the floor. Fasten the floor boards 
together by strips underneath, using as many as desired. 
The four corner posts are for your 

OUTER BOX. 

This box when finished is four feet long and forty-four 
inches wide, outside, provided it is made of boards one inch 
thick. Including its top and floor, it is twenty-six inches 
high. Nail on your side boards. Let rear and front end 
boards cover ends of side boards. After the tank is in, and 
the top of the inner box is on, cover inner box with sawdust, 



186 



Lloyd's modern poultry book. 



and nail down the top of outer box. Tongued and grooved 
boards should be used for every part of the incubator except 
the floor, which should be of heavy boards. All the measure- 
ments given here, however, are for boards one inch thick, 
but three-quarter stuff may be used if desired. 

♦ THE INNER BOX. 

This holds, or rather comprises, ventilator, egg-drawer, 
and tank. It is forty inches long and thirty-two inches 




Mgure S. Interior of Incufyatot, 

wide, outside measurement, and must hold a tauk 30x36. 
The side boards are nailed to the posts B B (Fig. 1) and front 
boards of outer box, and fastened at the rear end by the rear 
boards being nailed to the ends of the side boards. Cleats 
are put on end and sides (on the floor), to fasten the inner 
box to the floor. Nail the bottoms of the side and rear end 
boards to the cleats. 

To make the inner box, refer to Fig 2, which has por- 
tions of the outer and inner boxes torn away to show inte- 
rior. A is the large or outer box; B is the inner box; C C are 
strips one inch wide and one inch chick, nailed to sides of inner 



INCUBATORS AND BROODERS. 



187 



box. D D are strips one inch wide and one inch thick nailed to 
sides of inner box. The strips C C, with iron rods half an inch 
thick (F F F F), hold and support the tank. Let ends of iron 
rods extend a little into sides of inner box, to assist in support- 
ing- the weight of the water. The strips D D are to hold the 
egg-drawer! E is a tin tube one and one-fourth inches in 
diameter and two feet long-, placed in the front part of the 




Fig. 3. Eyg Dra\wi\ 

ventilator to admit air. Observe, however, that Fig". 2 does 
not show the sawdust in front, as will be explained. 

We will now take up the separate parts. First is the 

VENTILATOR. 

This is simply the bottom of the inner box, being under 
the egg-drawer, five inches deep and thirty inches wide (the 
side boards of the inner box being its sides). The front end 
is boxed off, which includes the front boards and also the 
sawdust, thus making ventilator, inside measurement, thirty- 
six inches long. E is the tin tube, for the admission of air, 
before mentioned. Use no sawdust in the ventilator, but 
paper the bottom well and close, so as to have no air enter 
except through the tin tube. The tin tube is open at the 
front on outside of incubator and enters into ventilator. 

EGG -DRAWER. 

The egg-drawer goes under the tank, and rests on the 
strips D D (Fig. 2). The egg-drawer is four inches deep 
outside measurement. It is thirty-nine inches long, outside 
measurement (which includes the boxed-off portion in front 
of drawer), and is thirty inches wide. Three movable trays. 



188 



LLOYD S MODERN POULTRY BOOK. 



each one and one-half inches deep, are fitted in egg-drawer. 
Nail strips one inch wide and five-eighths of an inch thick, 
one inch apart, the length of the egg-drawer (but not under 
boxed-off portion) for the bottom. Mortise ends of strips in 
egg-drawer, so as to have the bottom smooth. Tack a piece 
of muslin on these strips (thin muslin is best) and tack it on 
the inside of the drawer. Now nail strips to bottoms of 
trays (use lath, if desired, cut to one inch width) but you need 
not mortise them. Simply nail them on the bottom, one 
inch apart, running lengthwise, and tack muslin on the bot- 




Fifjr: 6. Incubator ready for the EgaDrav er. 

torn of the trays, inside, in the same way as for egg-drawer. 
The inside of the drawer will be three and three-eighths 
inches deep. The sawdust in front of egg-drawer (the boxed 
portion) fits in boxed front of incubator (see Fig. 5). Put a 
board capon outside of egg-drawer, at front end, to exclude air. 

THE TANK. 

This is 30x36 inches and seven inches deep. It is sup- 
ported by the strips C C, and rods F F F F (Fig. 2). Being 
thirty-six inches long, it goes close up to the back boards of 
the inner box, the front being inclosed by a sliding board, 
secured with upright strips at each end of board, one inch 
in diameter (so as to remove tank when necessary), which 
leaves a small space in front of the sliding board to be filled 
with sawdust. Have the tank tube in front only long enough 
to extend through the sawdust in front, and have your fau. 
cet to screw into this tube, the tube being threaded. The 
tube on top of tank should be long* enough to extend through 



INCUBATORS AND BR00DEKS. 



189 



the tops of both boxes (outer and inner, through the saw- 
dust), and should, therefore, be seven inches high from top 
of tank, as is seen in Fig 4. When the incubator is ready, 




Fig.U Tank. 

we have Fig. 5, which shows the sawdust packing in front, 
by looking into the opening into which the egg-drawer en- 
ters when filled with eggs. Fig. 6 shows the incubator as 
if cut in half lengthwise, and displays all the positions. 




Mg. 6. Sectional View of Incubato*. 

What is meant by the "boxed-off" portion in front is that 
portion filled with sawdust in front. The side boards of the 
inner box are joined, on their front ends, to the front boards 
of the outer box, being also nailed to the two short middle 
posts. Fill in between the boxes with sawdust, and if saw- 
dust is scarce, use chaff, oats, finely cut hay (rammed down), 
or anything that will answer, but sawdust or chaff is best. 
In Fig. 6, A is the tube on top, B the faucet in front, C the 



190 



LLOYD'S MODERN POULTRY BOOK. 



opening for the egg-drawer, and D the tube to admit air 
into the ventilator. This tin tube should be as close to the 
bottom of the ventilator as possible. When making incuba- 
tor do not forget to cut holes for tubes of tank and also for 
air tubes t o come through, and then putty around them 
The tank should be made of galvanized iron. 

DIRECTIONS FOR OPERATING. 

Each tray holds about eighty eggs, laid in promiscuously, 
the same as in a nest, making total number for incubator 




Mg. 7. IncuUaO', Cuinpletv. 

240 eggs. First fill the tank with boiling water, but never 
allow it to remain in the tube on top, as it thus increases 
pressure; hence, when tank is full to top of the tube, draw 
off a gallon of water. Fill it forty-eight hours before put- 
ting eggs <n, and have heat up to 115° before they are put 
in. A.s the eggs will cool down the heat, do not open the 
drawer for six hours, when the heat should be 103°, and 
kept as near that degree as possible, until the end of the 
hatch. It is best to run it a few days without eggs, to 
learn it thoroughly. 

Place incubator in a place where the temperature does 
not fall below 60°. As the heat will come up slowly, it will 
also cool off slowly. Should the heat be difficult to bring 
up, or the eggs be too cool, you can raise or lower the 
trays, using small strips under them. You can also stop up 
or open the air tube in the front opening of the ventilator 
whenever you desire. When the eggs are put in, the drawer 



INCUBATORS AND BROODERS. 191 

will cool down some. All that is required then is to add 
about a bucket or so of water once or twice a day, in the 
morning - and at night, but be careful about endeavoring" to 
get up heat suddenly, as the heat does not rise for five hours 
after the additional bucket of water is added. The cool air 
comes from the ventilating pipe, passing through the muslin 
bottom of the egg-drawer to the eggs. Avoid opening the 
egg- drawer frequently, as it allows too much escape of heat, 
and be careful not to open when chicks are hatching, unless 
compelled, as it causes loss of heat and moisture at a critical 
time. Cold drafts on the chicks at that time are fatal. 
Do not oblige visitors. Be sure your thermometer records cor- 
rectly, as half the failures are due to incorrect thermometers, 
and not one in twenty is correct. Place the bulb of the 
thermometer even with the top of the eggs, that is, when 
the thermometer is lying down in the drawer, with 
the upper end slightly raised, so as to allow the mercury to 
rise, but the bulb and eg*gs should be of the same heat, as 
the figures record the heat in the bulb, and not in the tube. 
Turn the eggs twice a day at regular intervals — six o'clock 
in the morning and six o'clock at night. Do not let them 
cool lower than 70°. Turn them by taking a row of eggs 
from the end of the tray and placing them at the other end, 
turning the eggs by rolling them over with your hand. By 
removing" only one row you can roll all the rest easily. Give 
no moisture the first week, very little the second, and plenty 
the third week. Do not sprinkle the eggs. 

For moisture, put a wet sponge, the size of an egg 
(placed in a flat cup), in each tray, the second week, and tv;o 
sponges in each tray the third week. Do not put in sponges 
until you are about to shut up the drawer, after turning. 
Wet the sponge by dipping in hot water. After the first ten 
days the animal heat of the chicks will partially assist in 
keeping the temperature. Be careful, as heat always drops 
when chicks are taken out. You can have a small glass door 
in front of egg-drawer, to observe thermometer, if desired. 
Always change position of trays when eggs are turned, put- 
ting the front one at the rear. 



CHAPTER VIII. 
CHICKENS ON TEE FARM. 

Generally in calculating- the profits of the' .year, the 
farmer overlooks the chickens entirely, and very often it is 
the case that if he should think of them at that moment 
there would be very little to add to his account as their con- 
tribution. The reason for this is that they are neglected 
throughout the whole year and cannot be expected to do 
much; nevertheless, if an account had been kept, even with 
this neglect it would be found that many a chicken had 
been served up as a palatable meal during the year and many 
dozens of eggs gone to the store, besides the large number 
used at home. And this without any attention except to 
throw out a little ice-cold corn winter afternoons and per- 
haps some slop (such as fed to the hogs), while there were 
little chickens; for this young and old scrambled, with the re- 
sult that little ones were often trampled upon and killed. 
The hens stole their nests and dragged their chicks around 
in the wet and scratched what food they could for their 
young; if half the brood' survived they did well. Later in 
the summer they roosted in the trees; when the snow came 
it drove them to seek shelter in the stable, granary, machin- 
ery or carriage shed, where they left their marks. 

If, perchance, shelter was provided for them, it was an 
old shed with a leaky roof and no light, except what came in 
through the door and numerous cracks, which also served 
equally well for admitting the cold. Here the droppirgs were 
allowed to lie from one year's end to the other, and the dead 
chickens, of which there were apt to be several in the coarse 
of a winter, stayed just where death overtook them until 
warm weather made them so offensive that they then were 
dumped back of the pig-pen If a hen happened to want to 
Sit in such a place, eggs were put under her and then she 



CHICKENS ON THE FARM. 193 

was left to shift for herself; the other hens helped break her 
eggs and the remaining ones were left in a soiled condition; 
occasionally she was yanked off by the tail, and if there were 
more eggs under her than originally, a few of the freshest 
looking ones were taken away. 

Ii the hen chose (as was most likely) some more agreeable 
place for depositing her treasures, they were gathered when- 
ever chanced upon, unless it was very evident she had been 
sitting foi some time. If, when hatched, the mother and 
brood were cooped up, they were fed at very irregular 
and uncertain intervals. 

The older fowls were allowed to roam at their pleasure, 
and often annoyed the cattle, and scared the nervous horse 
by picking away under them or in their feed troughs, until 
the more timid animals stood trembling while their feed was 
devoured by the hungry feathered bipeds. A favorite 
place for sunning themselves was the back doorstep of the 
house, and this was a source of much annoyance to the good 
housewife; her cherished garden was scratched up by them 
and generally she concurred with her husband in considering 
the chickens a nuisance, which for some not clearly defined 
reason had to be tolerated on the farm, instead of a source 
of much profi f as they might easily become. 

Dear reader, this may not be the condition of the chick- 
ens on youi farm, I hope it is not; but is it not a fair, if not 
actual representation of the manner in which some farmers 
ot your acquaintance treat their biddies? 

IMPROVING THE STOCK. 

I would not, for a moment, have you think that I believe 
it is absolutely necessary that a large sum be expended on 
costly houses, incubators and fixtures, in order to raise 
chickens in a civilized and profitable manner. You will see 
by referring to the chapter on houses that comfortable quar- 
ters can be provided a+ a very moderate cost, and unless very 
early chicken^ are desired the incubator can be dispensed 
with Thoroughbred stock it not necessary in order to get 
good laying hens or good chickens for the table or market.' 
Common hens well cared for will pay better than pure- bred 
ones that are neglected. Care counts more than blood alone 



194 LLOYD'S MODERN POULTRY BOOK. 

aDy day. It is well always to select the best hens of your com- 
mon stock for breeders, and if possible get a pure-bred roos- 
ter of one of the breeds that possess the qualities you wish; 
if you are keeping- chickens for their eggs, select those of 
your hens that you know are the best layers, and mate with 
them a rooster of one of the breeds noted for their egg-lay- 
ing quality; if table fowls are desired mate with that end in 
view. By continuing this process, changing roosters from 
time to time to avoid the evils of in-breeding too closely, in 
a few years you will possess a flock that will nearly equal 
pure-bred fowls for practical purposes. 

If you do not feel justified in purchasing a thoroughbred 
cock even, you can by this same method of selection in 
breeding stock greatly improve your flock when using a 
male of the common run. But be sure to give your chickens 
the same care as you would were they high-priced stock. 

In buying pure-bred poultry it is not necessary to purchase 
the highest scoring ones. Often there are birds whose blood 
is just as pure as the purest, and as good for all purposes, 
except the show-room, that can be obtained for one-half, and 
often much less, the price of their most noted brothers; 
these are the birds we advise farmers to buy, unless they 
wish to raise show-birds. 

Probably the more popular way of getting pure-bred chick- 
ens is to buy sittings of eggs, and in this way the best blood 
of the country is obtained at, a much lower figure than by 
buying birds, but, of course, it delays the improvement of 
your flock one year. In having "pure-breds" to start with, 
you not only obtain the desired results soon, but also have 
eggs and birds to sell, for which your neighbors ought to be 
glad to pay more than the market price for culinary stock. 

CHILDREN AS CHICKEN-RAISERS. 

Many a man who takes first-rate care of his stock seems 
to think that chickens are "too small fry" for him to give 
any attention to, so they are neglected or turned over to his 
wife and children. Now, in many ways a woman can give 
better care to chickens, little chicks in particular, than a 
man, but it is hardly right to ask her to attend to the hens 
in midwinter or at any other time, when there is a large 



CHICKENS ON THE FARM. 195 

family of children to care for and several hired men to cook 
for, especially if there is no help in the kitchen, as is too 
often the case. Children usually take great interest in chick- 
ens and like to care for them, especially if a few are given 
them to be "their very own." I would recommend that fathers 
give each child a hen or more and let them have all the 
chickens she raises, also the money they bring for their own; 
in this way the children are not only led to show greater 
zeal in their work but also learn to save their money as they 
do not when some is given them which cost no labor on their 
part. Nevertheless the chickens ought not to be turned en- 
tirely over to the children, because they may forget some 
things that will make a material difference in the profits ac- 
cruing from the hens. 

POULTRY-HOUSES ON THE FARM. 

In building a house for your poultry place it on a high, 
dry spot and have it somewhat sheltered from the cold win- 
ter winds if possible; have the front of the building to the 
south and be sure there are plenty of windows in it. It is 
best not to have it connected with the stables, as the fumes 
from them are more or less injurious to poultry; and if they, 
through neglect, become lousy, the cattle and horses will be 
almost sure to be affected. 

As poultry can be kept more cheaply when running at 
large than when confined, it would be better to put the 
chicken house at some distance from your own dwelling, so 
that they will not litter up the stoop or doorstep. If they 
have good quarters they will not be likely to bother 
much if table scraps and food are not thrown out of the back 
door to attract them. To save all risk a light fence of lath 
or wire netting may be built about the dwelling. 

When you have your buildings and breeding stock you 
are ready to begin business. Do not expect eggs too soon if 
the fowls have just been bought, as moving usually disturbs 
them, and it takes some time to become accustomed to their 
new quarters. If your building does not contain arrange- 
ments for separating the sitting hens from the others, take 
pains when a hen is set to fasten her in with laths so that the 
others can not disturb her, and when you let the sitting hen 



196 LLOYD'S MODERN POULTRY BOOK. 

off to feed be sure that all others are shut out of the house or 
some may enter the nest to lay, and the "sitter" on returning 
make such a row that the eggs be broken or she go on an- 
other nest, and when the laying hen comes off the eggs 
become cold. Where several hens are set in a row of nests all 
alike, some advocate painting them different colors to assist 
the hens in finding their own nests and they assure us that 
they have much less trouble with hens getting- on their 
neighbors' nests than when there is nothing to tell the nests 
apart. 

Sitting hens should be allowed to come off every day, but 
do not disturb them if they do not seem inclined to leave their 
nests. Some hens will not feed oftener than once in three 
days. Have plenty of grain and fresh water at hand and a 
box full of road dust or sifted coal ashes for them to roll in; 
this helps to keep off the lice. If you leave while the hens 
are off, do not stay away very long, as some may have to be 
put back on their nests. While sitting, and jnst before 
hatching time, dust the hen and nest well with insect pow- 
der or Scotch snuff as a safeguard against lice. It is better 
to put a sod or some dry earth into the bottom of the nest, 
and cover this with cut straw or hay, or many prefer very 
fine shavings, as with them there is no danger of the hen 
scratching for the seeds. Have a sponge and some warm 
water to wash off any eggs that may be soiled by others 
being broken, for if left daubed up the embryo chick may be 
smothered; at any rate the odor of the broken egg will not 
be agreeable if allowed to remain in the nest or on the eggs. 
It also becomes a breeding bed for lice. 

When hatched, allow the chicks to remain in the nest until 
they are all dried off, but if the weather is cold or the eggs 
hatch slowly, put the first ones behind the kitchen stove and 
look out for gentle pussy. 

As soon as the chicks are all dried off remove them with 
their mother to a roomy coop placed in some dry spot. After 
twenty-four hours feed as suggested in Chapter II of this 
book. When they are a few weeks old they should be allowed 
to forage for insects with their mother on pleasant days, but 
she should be shut up every night, otherwise she will lead 



CHICKENS ON THE FARM. 197 

the chicks off through the dew in early morning-, and they 
may become chilled and die; on rainy days also keep them 
under shelter. If any are caught in a shower and get soaked 
treat as prescribed elsewhere in this book. 

Let the old hen stay with her brood as long as she will; 
when she leaves them they will probably spend their nights 
in their old coop if left undisturbed. If the chicks are quite 
young when forsaken, and the nights are chilly, throw an 
old carpet over their coop. Let them "roost" on the ground 
as long as they will; roosting on perches while young is apt 
to make their breast bones crooked. When the nights 
become quite cold or when the chicks begin to perch upon 
fences or trees, gently remove them, after dark, into the hen 
house. Any that get away while you are transferring them 
are not to be chased about; let alone until the next night. 
Very likely part of those that were carried into the hen house 
will be in the tree again, if so, take them in once more; in a 
few days they will become accustomed to their new quarters 
and go in of their own accord. 

WINTER CARE OF CHICKENS. 

After the ground is frozen, chickens ordinarily cannot find 
as much to eat as during the summer, and their feed 
should be increased accordingly. During the winter a 
part of the house should be penned off by a board 
from six inches to a foot in height, and this space 
filled with straw, hay or leaves; into this their grain 
should be scattered; in scratching for it the fowls will get 
much needed exercise while confined. If something of this 
kind is not provided they will become too fat and eggs will 
be a scarce article. Where there is not sufficient room in the 
house for this "scratching-place," roof over a place on a pro- 
tected side and put the straw under this. Be sure that the 
sun can shine on the straw and do not put the roof where it 
will shut off the light from the house. A dust bath also ought 
to be provided. It is a good plan to gather several barrels 
of road dust in the fall and keep it in a dry place; put a 
box of it where the hens can reach it; replenish this from 
tim« to time. Sifted coal ashes are very good for the same 



198 LLOYD'S MODERN POULTRY BOOK. 

purpose; the fowls relish the bits of coal and clinkers which 
they find in the sif tings. 

. During the winter give the fowls warm water at least 
once a day; if your building is so cold that in extremely cold 
weather the wacer is apt to freeze if left standing in the 
vessels, it had better be thrown out after each meal; in this 
case they will need refilling three times a day, for chickens 
need water in winter as well as in summer, and "eating 
snow" will not take the place of fresh drinking water. 

On warm, sunny days the hens greatly enjoy being out 
of doors, and if there is deep snow on the ground a space in 
front of their house may be shoveled clear for them. For 
the best feed during this season of the year see the chapter 
on "Care and Management." 

BROILERS ON THE FARM. 

If you are located on a line of railway offering good 
transportation facilities to a large market it might be ad- 
visable to purchase an incubator and brooder and raise broil- 
ers. In this case some of the earlier pullets must be kept 
for the next year's layers or the eggs will not be forthcoming 
from which to hatch the early broilers. Most of the breeds 
are mature enough to begin laying when six months (often 
earlier) old, if they are well cared for, but they will not pro- 
duce as strong chicks as those which are more mature. Old 
hens can not be depended upon to lay early. 

Asa rule, where eggs are the object, it is best not to keep 
hens after two years old, and many advocate turning them 
off the summer after they are a year old; during July and 
August they usually command a good price. 

If it is not desirable to raise broilers, the chicks need 
not be hatched as early; but for winter laying the bulk of 
them should come out in April and May. Hatched at this 
season they can be raised at less cost than the winter chicks. 
Turn the cockerels off during the summer and early fall, 
or caponize them. Do not have a flock of poultry composed 
of from one-third to one-half old roosters, that are worse 
than useless about the farm, and bring a very low figure on 
the market. The surplus pullets may be turned off with the 



CHICKENS ON THE FARM. 199 

cockerels as spring- chickens, though they will sell at a good 
price at almost any season of the year. 

An incubator will be found a profitable investment where 
poultry is raised on a large scale, as in that event the hens 
are not needed for hatchers and will usually get back to lay- 
ing much sooner than when allowed to sit. 

Although late hatched chickens can not be as profitably 
kept for layers they will add largely to the profits as market 
birds, and many poultry raisers keep on hatching through- 
out the spring and early summer. 

Ten to a dozen hens to a cock is a fair proportion, and 
even more of the lighter breeds can be safely kept. If you 
have a trio of thoroughbred fowls and wish to keep their 
eggs separate from the rest of the flock, it is best to confine 
with them a few hens whose eggs are a different color, other- 
wise the male may be too attentive, and the hens stop 
laying. 

Persons living in towns or where, if they raise chickens, 
they must keep the fowls confined to limited runs, will find 
them a source of pleasure as well as profit, if they are given 
careful attention, especially in providing plenty of green 
food. Nothing can be more satisfactory than fresh eggs or 
a fat fowl of "our own raising 1 ' to the family in the village, 
and the neighbors are always willing to take the surplus eggs 
and chickens, for they know what they are buying in such a 
case. Even in a large town, where the house lots are very 
small, chickens may be kept, but there it is best to have the 
heavier breeds, such as the Asiatics, for they are more docile 
by nature and bear confinement better than others; or 
Bantams may be tried; as a rule, they are very prolific layers 
and take up very little room. Besides furnishing that rarity 
of the city, fresh eggs, they will yield as much enjoyment to 
a common mortal as a circus, and the children will amuse 
themselves for hours at a time in watching these cute little 
pets. A half dozen of these pigmies could be kept on] the 
back porch of a third- story flat. 

Those who say poultry does not pay do so because in the 
first place they do not expend the proportionate time and 
brain in caring for their fowls that they do with their other 



200 LLOYD'S MODERN POULTRY BOOK. 

stock. In the second place, they do not keep an account, 
hence the many little sums are overlooked when compared 
with those derived from the cows, for instance, where many 
times the capital is invested. Take care of your hens for one 
season, credit them with all the eggs and chickens used at 
home as well as those sold, ot course charging- the feed and 
time to them, and see if they do not yield a greater profit 
proportionately than the average products at your disposal. 
Those who have thoroughly tried it, either as a business in 
itself or as a side issue, are almost unanimous in declaring 
that it is one of the most profitable, if nut the most profit- 
able, branches of farming. One must not expect to do well 
at it unless he is willing to devote time and talents to it and 
even then there are a few who, despite their best efforts, will 
fail; the same is true in every business and profession. To 
such I would say try something else, but to the average man 
I would recommend keeping at least a few fowls, if situated 
so that it is at all practicable to do so. 

EGG FARMING. 

In these days of specialties, farming is much more divid- 
ed than formerly; we have fruit farming, dairy farming, 
duck farming and egg farming. Of those who have attempted 
the production of eggs on a large scale a few have succeeded. 
The chief cause of failure with those who have not been 
successful has been that they seemingly undertook it with 
the idea that all they had to do was to multiply the small 
flock with which they did well by 100 or 1,000 to get 100 or 
1,000 times as much profit. Multiplying the number of hens 
is the very smallest factor of success in egg farming. 

The first element in successful egg farming is small 
flocks; the second is economical housing; the third, facili- 
ties for handling and cheaply caring for the flocks. The 
flocks being small each one can be cared for and treated as 
though it was the only one on the place. The houses should 
be warm and convenient for the birds and the attendant. 
It will be much cheaper to limit the range of the flocks by 
their own free will instead of by fences or runs. To do this, 
place the houses at short distances apart — ten or twelve 
rods— and have them of different colors and with different 



CHICKENS OH THE FARM. 501 

surrounding's so each may be readily distinguished by its 
occupants when they wish to seek ••quarters" at night or for 
laying-. One of the most successful egg farmers in this country 
arranges the houses of his hens along streets, ten rods apart, 
through his farm. Half of the 120 acre] farm is used |as a 
hen yard one year and the other half cultivated. The next 
year the houses are moved over to the cultivated half, and 
the hen yard used for cropping purposes. The houses are 
built on sills which form runners and a good team is used 
for moving them in the spring. During the summer they 
are moved their length every week: in this way the houses 
are kept sweet, as the soil where they are to stand is plowed 
before the houses are moved. The object of this is to keep 
the houses healthy with fresh soil as an absorbent of the 
droppings which renders the air pure without the labor and 
expense of a daily cleaning-, and also ••fixes" the fertilizing 
elements in the droppings and enriches the soil for next 
year's crop. 

When the flocks are left to make the limit of their range, 
one thing has to be g-uarded against and that is their follow- 
ing the attendant who feeds them from one house to the next 
and so on till there is an iutermingling that it would be 
hard to separate. To prevent this running to the neighbors", 
the fowls never see the attendant when food or water is 
given them, this being done at night or while they are shut 
up so they cannot see how the supply is furnished. If the 
range is limited by fences this precaution in feeding need 
not be taken. 

In winter the air of the houses is kept pure by daily 
covering the droppings with dry dirt that is stored in the 
summer or fall. In the spring the building is pried up from 
the mound that has been formed, and, after being drawn 
away, the mound is plowed up and scattered with a scraper 
before the ••yard" is plowed for planting-. 

The most successful egg farm will need at least three 
sets of hens unless incubators are used for hatching pur- 
poses. Que set will be the sitters or mothers, one the breed- 
ers and the other the layers. The breeders should be of the 
best laying strains; these with their male companions should 



202 . Lloyd's modern poultry book. 

be kept somewhat apart from the layers and fed for hardy, 
vigorous offspring-, not crowded for the greatest possible 
number of eggs within the first few months of their laying 
days. The sitters will be of some of the heavy breeds or 
crosses therefrom; they should be fed so as to be through 
laying in time to be ready for incubation in late winter or 
early spring and then right along till June. They should be 
about half and half, hens that were used the year previous 
in rearing two or more broods each, and the earliest hatched 
pullets of the previous spring. 

If the poultry farm can have a soil naturally well drained 
and slightly sloping towards the south or southeast it will be 
an ideal location if it is near a large city where customers 
can be had and supplied regularly. 

On a farm managed as suggested above, half used as a hen 
range one year and cultivated the next, there will be need of 
providing temporary shade and shelter. This may be afforded 
by rough board sheds, two or three feet high in front and 
slanting back to the ground. Or a frame may be made of 
poles and covered with brush, straw or corn stalks. 

When engaging in egg farming it must be borne in mind 
that it will be almost absolutely necessary to supply animal 
food in much larger proportion than where a few fowls are 
kept, as insects abound where vegetation thrives, and there 
will be but little vegetation in a hen yard that has a house 
every ten or twelve rods and on land that was plowed and 
cultivated the year before. For the same reason a good sup- 
ply of green stuff must regularly be provided. To this end 
the crops raised on the balance of the farm may be largely 
such as will supply green and succulent food, such as cab- 
bage and turnips. A partial supply of the green food nec- 
essary may be given by sowing lettuce, oats and other 
quick-growing greens in strips among the houses and pro- 
tecting with wire netting or other light fences, while getting 
a start, then let the fowls have access to these patches while 
others are being protected. All this means work and con- 
stant work. No one need expect to succeed at egg farming 
without work, any more than at any other kind of farming. 
Do not undertake it unless you are willing to work and bet- 
ter cot undertake it at all except by growing up to it from 
a small beginning. 



CHAPTER IX- 
HOUSES AND FIXTURES. 

"I am thinking of building- a new hen-house for a flock 
offrom a hundred and fifty to two hundred. What do you 
consider the best size and plan for such a building-?" ''Please 
give plans for substantial but economical hen-house." "How 
would a sod house plastered and whitewashed do for poul- 
try?" are samples of questions that come to my desk. In 
answering them the section of country from which they 
come must be considered as a factor in the construction of 
the buildings. There are two or three things that must be 
considered in building every hen- house. They must be dry, 
warm and large enough for the flock to be kept. All other 
matters in construction and ornamentation may be left to 
the taste and means of the builder. 

The necessary cost of the poultry house will depend 
very much upon the price of lumber and other materials in 
the locality where built. To this must be added the wages 
paid for labor. The latter expense will be saved by a great 
many who keep poultry ^specially those who keep a small flock 
upon a farm or in a suburban village, as they will do the 
work themselves. As examples of the range in cost of build- 
ings we mention one in Massachusetts for one hundred hens, 
where lumber and wages are high, that cost but a few cents 
less than $100. Another in the same State, to accommodate 
500 hens, cost $400 where the owner did most of the work 
himself. In Ohio, houses that would accommodate fifty fowls 
each were built at $30 apiece where the labor was paid for 
as well as all material bought. "Out West" a house for 100 
was built with an outlay of only $10 for material. This was 
the only money outlay. The "materia]" bought was a few 
rough boards, nails, glass and window sash. The worts was 
done by the owner, and the other "material" that entered 



204 Lloyd's modern poultry book. 

into the construction of the building- was poles, sods and 
straw. This house may not have been called "handsome"' 
from an architectural stand point, but it was very "handsome" 
if "handsome is that handsome does," for it was warm and 
the occupants laid right along- throug-h the severest winter 
weather. Give hens "warmth" when the mercury is playing 
around below zero twenty to thirty degrees, and they will 
talk merrily and rejoice your pocketbook with high-priced 
eggs regardless of the lack of beauty and "lovely" surround- 
ings that adorn their quarters — proper feed, of course, be- 
ing given them. All the beauty of outside finish and archi- 
tectural symmetry will not produce eggs without warmth. 
Bear that in mind always. 

We give a few illustrations, plans and specifications 
of buildings that have been built. From them, with such 
modifications as locality and circumstances indicate, sug- 
gestions may be derived as to what may be done in the way 
of poultry houses. 

As to fixtures and furniture, we believe the fewer the 
better and we would have all loose so they may be readily 
and quickly removed from the house to facilitate cleaning 
and keeping free from vermin. A few flat perches, movable 
boxes for nests, a dust box, one for gravel and grit, a V 
shaped feeding trough and a drinking vessel are all we con- 
sider necessary. If milk is used have two drinking vessels. 
Have those that can be readily cleaned and scalded. This 
applies to feeding troughs as well as drinking dishes. If 
there is a covered shed connected with the house or if the 
perches are above a second floor the dust and grit need not 
necessarily be in boxes. If the perches are at all elevated 
there must be easy approaches to them. 

The idea that the whole of the south side of the poultry 
house should be of glass is now discarded by many of the 
best poultry raisers. All hold that there must be plenty of 
light and quite a liberal amount of glass. If there is much 
glass the strong, dazzling effect of so full a flood of sunlight 
may be modified by whitewashing or painting the glass or 
part of it. In the summer time the sash may be removed 
and wire netting or lath placed over the window spaces. 



HOUSES AND FIXTURES. 



205 



For winter warmth there should be board shutters to put up 
at night. 

A FIFTEEN-DOLLAR HOUSE. 

We are indebted to Mr. J. R. Brabazon, of Delavan, Wis., 
for the cut below and the following description of his cheap 
poultry house. 

The poultry house is 12x16 feet, five feet posts and nine 
feet at the highest rise in the roof. Faces the south and is 




intended for three breeding pens, or can be turned into one 
house. Roosts are all movable and nests too. The win- 
dows are four feet long and two feet wide, and a window to 
each pen. Is made two boards thick with paper between, 
and the pens lean as is shown in the cut as a shingled roof. 
The windows have an angle of two and one-half feet from 
top to bottom to give plenty of heat in winter, and I keep 
my Leghorns in it, and in this latitude of some 30° to 40° be- 
low zero I have never had one freeze its comb yet. It can 
be made here for $15 if a man has ingenuity enough to build 



206 LLOYD'S MODERN POULTRY BOOK. 

it himself, but where lumber is higher than here in Wiscon- 
sin, it may cost a little more. Any old boards can be 
used for the first thickness. Don't use any 2x4 only in the 
corners and roof two feet apart, and run the first boards 
lengthwise, the next up and down and batten, and you 
have a frost-proof hen-house if you put the boards close to- 
gether in roof and paper before shingling. It will accommo- 
date forty to fifty laying hens and more when in the fall 
young stock is in. Never crowd your fowl house. 

AN INDIANA POULTRY HOUSE. 

Mrs. A. L. Smith, Princeton, Indiana, thus describes a 
poultry house that is very convenient where more than one 
breed is kept, or where the poultry has to be confined: 

The poultry house is 12x40, divided into five runs, making 
them 8x12 in the clear. It is on the hillside facing the south, 
with a good-sized window in each run, with one additional 
in each end of the house, east and west. 

A brick foundation with 2x4 studding laid on top, then 
studding set up, six feet on north side and ten on the south, 
wide enough apart to tack building paper on the outside, and 
tarred paper on the inside, then siding joint on outside and 
ceiling inside, thus making a double hollow wall with two ply 
of paper, which entirely protects the fowls from frozen 
combs. I lined the doors with tarred paper and then a layer 
of ceiling. This, with close window shutters on outside, 
makes a very close room and proof against freezing. 

For ventilation two tubes made with foot wide lumber, 
within one foot of floor and up through the roof, and to 
which is attached a nice galvanized iron flue, to finish it 
nicely on top. 

For admitting fresh air, but not cold air, I got three hard 
burnt straight tiles, and three elbows, also three tin spouts 
or tubes six feet long, and some common three-inch tile. 
Beginning a few rods out from the house, with the hard 
burnt straight tile at the surface, I run the common tile 
under ground till it came within the house four feet from the 
south wall; at each one of the partitions attach the 
elbow and bring it to the surface, then insert the tin spouting, 
and you have an inlet for pure air, coming a few rods under 



HOUSES AND FIXTURES. 207 

ground, and sufficiently warmed, so it will not cool off the 
house. The tin spouting- carries it above where the fowls 
roost, so they get no draft. I find when my shutters are all 
closed, by putting the hand over the top of the spouts, I can 
feel the fresh air rushing* in, but it is not cold, because the 
ground has warmed it as it passes through the tile. There 
are three of these ventilators. 

The roosts are made by taking a twenty-four inch board 
for a table, putting" slanting edges on six inches deep, and 
putting on each end two uprights, one foot long, with two 
inch slots cut in upper end, into which the ends of the two- 
roosting poles rest. These perches are two by three, rounded 
on top. This wide trough can be swept off often, and the 
droppings carried out, as it sits on tw r o little trestles about 
eighteen inches high. I raise the ends of perches occasion- 
ally, and pour on coal oil, and so I never have mites in my 
house. Keep perches and dropping-trough away from the 
wall. 

The house is covered with tarred paper and after six 
years of use, we re-covered with iron this paper helps to keep 
the house warm in winter. Window-shutters closed in 
winter at night and windows all open in summer with wire 
screens to keep out vermin. 

The partitions are boarded up about three feet, and wire 
netting from that to the ceiling or roof. 

Small doors at bottom leading out of each run, into a 
large grass run, from one to two acres in each, except middle 
one which is left, and used for a cockerel run or later in the 
season for the first brood of chicks, when they are old enough 
to remove from the brood house. In this run I have a cool 
roosting coop made of inch square oak laths nailed on close 
enough to keep out rats, with a wire screen door; the air can 
pass through in all directions and it is under the shade of a 
tree, size 4x10 feet. Then when cold weather comes we take 
them from these outdoor coops into the house above de- 
scribed. 

The cost of the house was about $100, but it accommodates 
five varieties of fowls; one run need not cost over $25. 
Sometimes persons may find windows and doors that carpen- 



208 LLOYD'S MODERN POULTRY BOOK. 

ters have taken from old buildings, that are just as good for 
poultry houses as new ones, and so make it still cheaper. 
We put on a coat of paint and in two or three years give it 
another and so will always have a good house. The doors 
leading from one run to the other all have strong springs so 
they can't be left open, and the gates from one yard to an- 
other with heavy weights to close them. In this way there 
is no danger of having them open. 

The ceiling on the inside may be of any cheap lumber and 
put on rough, as it holds the whitewash better. We apply a 
thick coat of whitewash in which carbolic acid has been 
mixed. This is good for the health of the fowls, and death 
to lice, should they happen to get started. But this with 
the tarred paper never has let them start with me, and it has 
been eight years since it was built, and has been occupied 
by about 100 chicks all the time. 

A MISSOURI POULTRY HOUSE. 

Mr. Elmer Putnam, Sheldon, Mo., thus describes a cheap 
poultry house in Poultry Topics: 

I use nothing heavier than 2x4. First, I nail the sills 
and joists together, then lay the floor for a room 8x10 feet, 
then cut two posts two feet ten inches long for the low side; 
toe nail at the corners, put a plate on top; this makes the 
low side of the house three feet high. For the front I take 
two posts four feet ten inches long; this makes the front 
when plate is on five feet high. I have from two to four 
windows in each house, one sash each. I have from two to 
four openings at the bottom underneath the windows. I 
have no ventilator for I have never needed one. I have one 
pair of rafters at each end with a ridge pole at the peak; the 
rafters for the long side are sixty-seven inches long; on the 
short side, the rafters are thirty-three inches in length. In 
building I use a board long enough to make one length for 
each side of the roof and for the low side of the building. 

The windows are removed in summer and wire cloth or 
netting used instead. Such a house 8x10 can be made at 
from $10 to $14. Two of my houses have open sheds at one 
end. I use anything for roosts I can get. Four-inch boards 



HOUSES AND FIXTUKES. 209 

cut to six-feet lengths do very well. My roosts lay upon 
low, short benches about two feet from the floor. I like 
short benches better, for the reason I can with the short 
roost boards put a row of roosts on each side of the house and 
across one end; this leaves an open space in the middle to 
work in when I powder my hens at night. 

The floor should be tight so that nothing can go through- 
Everything inside should be loose so that it can be removed 
easily. 

Part of the Eests are made of wire netting and part from 
boot boxes. The netting I used was eighteen inches wide 
and it takes a little over four feet in length for a good nest. 
One side I slit up some six or seven inches in four places, then 
make two hoops of number 9 smooth wire to fit snugly in- 
side after ends of netting are fastened together, one hoop at 
bottom, one at top; the portion that I slit up I bend in for a 
bottom, then I make four braces the height of my basket, 
fasten one end on bottom hoop, one on the top, being sure to 
have them long enough to draw the netting very tight, these 
braces should be equally divided around it. Then put two 
short cross pieces of wire under the bottom with two hooks 
to hang it up and you have a nest that has cost about five 
cents, and when cleaning one instant in a flame and the wire 
is almost red hot, thus destroying everything on them. 

The boot boxes I remove top and one side and enlarge them 
so that the nest is about sixteen inches in all directions. In 
front, a four-inch strip holds the nest in while the back part 
of the cover I leave loose so that I can get the eggs. 

These boxes are on feet about one foot high; when in use 
the open side is next the wall so the hen must go in from 
behind. Then when I set a hen in them the box can be set 
up close to the wall and the hens are shut up from the 
laying hens. Then in summer they can be carried out in the 
shade in any out-of-the-way corner; they are up off the 
ground where nothing can get in them without climbing and 
are light and easy to carry. 

HOUSE FOR ONE HUNDRED HENS. 

Fig. 1 (page 210) shows a good house for 100 fowls. It is 
50x12 feet, which gives five rooms 10x12 feet, four of which 



210 



LLOYD'S MODERN POULTRY BOOK. 



can be used for fowls, while the fifth can be used for storing" 
food, etc., sitting" hens in season, aid if desired, a stove for 
cooking- food may be set up in this room. In case a stove is 
desired, have a chimney in the center. Thde is no window 
in this center room, but it is sufficiently light, for the parti- 
tions are of wire netting" down to within two feet of the 
floor. If more lig"ht is desired, a window may be put in the 
upper half of the door. The house is set on a stone founda- 
tion, and in this foundation opening-s are left for the fowls. 




FIG. 1 — HOUSE FOR ONE HUNDRED HENS. 

One of the openings is in the west end and does not show in 
the illustration. Ventilation is secured by the two box ven- 
tilators. Roosts and nests arranged to suit the fancy of the 
owner. 

Fig. 2 (page 211) is a neat little poultry house twenty feet 
long, eight feet wide on the ground, six feet high in the rear, 
and six and a half feet in the roof. It is built of matched and 
dressed lumber, battened and painted. The frame is 3x4 
joists, lathed and filled in with sawdust on all sides and roof, 
then plastered; gravel bottom; three windows of twelve 
lights, 9x13, and a small window in upper half of door to 
admit the morning light. The nests are on the ground, 
under the windows. This house proved a success in a severe 
winter, the thermometer indicating only 3° below freezing 
when it was 26° below zero outside. 

Where the climate is not too severe a similar plan might 
be followed, but instead of the lath and plaster, double boards 



HOUSES ASD FIXTURES. 



211 



with building paper between might be used both for sides 
and roof. A house like this may be extended to any length 
desired, using - wire netting or lath for partitions to separate 
the different flocks. In localities where the cold is such as 
to freeze water solid in the poultry house it is about impos- 
sible to keep the combs of single-combed Leghorns, Minorcas 
and such breeds from freezing unless provisions are made 
for artificial heat. We do not think it advisable to 
keep the poultry house up to hot-house heat, but we know 
from experience that one cold night will stop all laying for 




FIG. 2 — A WARM HEN-HOUSE. 

a month or six weeks where we depended on Leghorns to 
produce the eggs. A stove and a few cents' worth of fuel 
one night would have saved our hens pain and disfigure- 
ment and given us dozens of high-priced eggs. A kerosene 
heater would pay for itself in one nig'ht of such weather in a 
house where twenty or thirty single-combed Leghorns are 
roosting. 

A CONVENIENT POULTRY HOUSE. 

The full-page illustration (Fig. 3, page 212) shows the ele- 
vation of a poultry house that is built with the back part in 
front, so to speak, and has the windows of two sashes in 
the lower side, the front, which should face the south. This 
arrangement has proved very satisfactory to the poultry 
raisers who have tried it. A house like this can be built any 
desired length, and divided into different sized rooms to suit 
the convenience of the' owner. It should be six feet high in 
front, and ten or twelve at the rear, according to the width. 
A passage-way three feet wide extends the whole length of 



212 



LLOYD'S MODERN POULTRY BOOK. 




HOUSES AND FIXTURES. 213 

the building". The windows are hung" with weights, and by 
a simple arrangement of cords and pulleys can be raised or 
lowered by pulling a cord in the alley. The space over the 
passageway in one house like this was used for storing 
chicken coops when not in use. In another it was finished 
with a tight floor and used as a roosting place, the fowls 
''climbing to rest" by means of a ladder which will be de- 
scribed farther on. In still another there was a pile of refuse 
hay, and a few nest boxes scattered in the "loft," and how 
the hens did like to lay up there. 

A house after the same general plan as the above has 
been built at an expense of twenty dollars for material. Fol- 
lowing are the dimensions: Width, twelve feet; length, 
twenty feet; height of front, seven feet; height of back, five 
feet. The material used was 650 feet foot boards, 130 feet 2x4 
scantling; four window's, two sashes each; 260 feet of roofing 
paper, one door made of boards and battened, 300 lath, 
seventy-five feet of two-inch battens and twenty pounds of 
nails. There was no battlement or trimmings of any kind, 
and the twenty dollars, as stated above, paid only for the 
material. Such a building would not do for winter quar- 
ters in a cold climate unless the sides were well protected 
with outside walls of straw or manure banking. We have 
built two after the same plan, 10x16 feet, nine feet high in 
front (this was the front facing- south) and six feet, high in 
the rear, with a roof of No. 1 shingles, at a cost of twenty- 
five dollars each, reckoning the work at SI. 50 per day. This 
included one partition and nest boxes in each. We secured 
ventilation by extending the roof rafters (2x4s) six inches 
beyond the top plate in front and facing them with a ten-inrh 
board. In this way fresh air entered without admitting 
the storms. In very severe weather straw stuffed in the 
opening between front of building and the face-board closed 
the ventilator and kept out the cold. 

AN OHIO POULTRY HOUSE. 

Mr. A. C. Pepron, in the Ohio Farmer, describes a house 
which he planned for 100 Brown Leghorns: 

Building stands east and west, so as to face the south; 
sixty feet long, twenty-five feet wide; foundation of brick or 



214 Lloyd's modern poultry book. 

cobble stone, two feet above ground and one foot in the 
ground; roof one-third pitch, making the building ten feet 
three inches high in the center; door in each end, and over 
the doors a small door for ventilation. In the south half of 
the roof put at least ten windows, one-half at peak, with 
the others at or near the eaves. The upper might be put in 
flat with the roof, and the lower would be better as dormer 
windows, and rise from the foundation, but this would make 
the cost considerable more than to put them in with the 
pitch of the roof. The ends and roof should be made double, 
with at least a two-inch air space, and also a sheathing of 
tarred paper between. Of course this makes the cost much 
more, but it will pay in the end; the fowls will not feel the 
sudden changes of temperature in winter, and unless there 
is long continued cold weather, the temperature of the air in 
the building will not go down to, or much below, freezing. 
The outside of building should be banked up all around as 
high as the foundation wall. To do this I would draw dirt 
and grade it up and make it permanent. Put a ventilator in 
the center, extending at least four feet above the roof and 
two feet below into the building; it should be sixteen inches 
square, and over the top and about four inches above a roof 
or cover, so as to keep out the snow and rain. The ventila- 
tor should be kept open all the time, and the end ventilators 
over the doors open only when necessary. This ventilator in 
the center can be used for a chimney by running a stove 
pipe up through the center and having a galvanized sheet 
iron top above the ventilator. The doors should be double 
and fit tight. 

HOUSE FOR LEGHORNS. 

Fig. 4 shows another man's (S. L. Roberts, of Nebraska) 
notions of a house for Brown Leghorns. Mr. Roberts says: 
"I have a superb pen of Brown Leghorns, with extra fine, 
large combs, and although our thermometers registered 15° 
below zero, my fowls all came through the winter untouched 
by frost. I have two buildings exactly alike, each eight feet 
wide, sixteen feet long, eight feet to top of square in front 
and four feet behind. These pens stand ten feet apart, with 
a roosting coop between. The roosting coop is four feet 



HOUSES AND FIXTURES. 



215 



wide by ten feet long-, two feet high in front, and one foot 
high behind, with a two-foot pit or cellar under it with 
roosts on a level with the ground. Two trunk ventilators 
run down within six inches of the ground, with a division in 
the middle. This coop answers for both pens. The cost is 
trifling-; three twelve-inch boards ten feet long- and the roof 
complete the building-. A hole cut into this from each pen 
and it is finished. 

"I can heartily recommend this roosting- coop to all 
breeders of Leghorns for winter. The advantages are many. 




FIG. 4 — HOUSE FOR LEGHORNS. 

It is warm in winter and coof in summer; and it is difficult 
for night prowlers to secure their booty. By this plan your 
poultry house can be kept clean; you will have healthy birds 
and plenty of eggs. You can close it up when you give the 
morning meal. Fowls will have no chance to learn the habit 
of loafing on the roosts half of the day. The objection to 
glass fronts is overcome, as the cold does not reach them, and 
no one need pity me when he sees one hundred and fifty 
panes of ten by twelve glass in a house eight feet by fifteen 
feet. No fancier should have his fowls roosting in the daily 
quarters when it is so easily remedied with so many advan- 
tages. 

' ; The best and cheapest material to use for building is 
twelve-inch hemlock flooring tongued and grooved, which 
costs from $16 to $18 per thousand, according to location. 



216 



LLOYD'S MODERN POULTRY ROOK. 



This used as siding- should be put up and down. It also 
makes a good warm roof covered with two-ply tarred felt. 
I have the roof and north end of pens covered with three-ply 
tarred felt; the balance, with the roosting- coop, is covered 
with two-ply felt. Inside of the pens everything is neat and 
clean, and the air is fresh and sweet, thanks to the roosting 
coop and trunk ventilators." 

HOUSE FOR SEVERAL BREEDS. 

Fig. 5 shows a neat-looking poultry house arranged for the 
keeping of several different breeds. It will answer just as 




FIG. 5— HOUSE FOR SEVERAL BREEDS.J 



well where only one is kept in several flocks. The middle 
room is used for a store-room, and is furnished with a stove 
for cooking feed and warming the building jin^ severe 
weather. 

A HOUSE FOR SEVENTY-FIVE FOWLS. 

Fig. 6 shows the elevation, and Fig. 7 the ground plan of 
a poultry house fifteen by eighteen feet, that will meet the 
requirements of the poultry raiser who desires to winter 
from fifty to seventy-five fowls, A represents the laying- 
room; B, the roosting-room; C, the room for feed and sitting 
hens, and D a bin for grain. The nest boxes shown in the 
partition between the laying and sitting rooms are intended 



HOUSES AND FIXTURES. 



217 



to slide back and forth. A house like this may be built 
any desired length, and a continuous passageway made by 
changing the arrangement of the roosts. Instead of having 
as much glass in the front as shown in the cut, some prefer 




two fair-sized windows and a small four-light window in the 
upper half of each door. The same inside arrangements may 
be had in the shed-roof building, Fig. 3. 

Fig. 8 shows the elevation of a house for one who desires 
to winter a good-sized flock of hens, and have plenty of room 
for raisiDg early chickens. 

Fig. 9 shows the elevation of a very convenient poultry 



218 



LLOYD'S MODERN POULTRY BOOK. 




FIG. 7. 




FIG. 8— HOUSE FOR FOWLS AND EARLY CHICKS. 




FIG. 9— A CONVENIENT HEN-HOUSE. 



HOUSES AND FIXTURES. 



219 



house which can be built ten or twelve feet wide, and any 
desired length. 

Fig's. 10 and 11 show the ground and end view of the in- 
side arrangements of this house. 

A BARN-CELLAR POULTRY HOUSE. 

One of the most comfortable and generally satisfactory 
poultry houses ever brought to our notice was one-half of a 



/; 



PA'S SAGE — 2 FEET WIDE. 



qqosi§aest3[ 



RQ.0ST.&MU 



A 1 " * + v - 



WoszaNesTs\ 



Mr'*,"* 1 *' '**£' 













E 1 












Tlfii^Offffw 




iu^" 








-i-"""'"'" - 








s^-*-^ r 








- 








5> 



FIGS. 10 AND 11. 



barn-cellar. The barn was built on the south side of a hill, 
and the cellar walls were of stone. The inside of the half 
that was used for a poultry house was finished off with 
matched boards. There were two large windows in the 
front, with board shutters to close over them winter nights. 
A box ventilator ran up through the barn floor into the room 
above. A door opened into the manure cellar, and in cold 
weather the fowls spent the greater part of the time during 
daylight scratching in the manure piles, and scratching and 
loafing in the barnyard sheds. When the mercury was down 



220 LLOYD'S MPDERN POULTRY BOOK. 

to twenty- two degrees below zero outside, it was above the 
freezing* point in that cellar. 

A MISSISSIPPI POULTRY HOUSE. 

In building poultry houses in the South, summer comfort 
as well as winter warmth must be sought; in fact, unless care 
is taken the winier warnith will be more easily secured than 
the summer comfort. To combine the two the following plan 
is recommended: Build ten feet wide and twenty feet long 
with seven foot posts for sides; have gabled roof, the ridge 
of which is ten feet from ground. Use strips 1x3 inches two 
inches apart, to cover the east side. Board up the south side 
three feet from the bottom, cover four feet with strips as on 
east side, then board up to the peak. Board up the north and 
west sides tight with inch boards. This will give a house 
warm enough for Mississippi in winter and a cool one in 
summer. The house is large enough for forty fowls, either 
kept as one flock or divided by partitions of wire netting. 
We would not recommend lengthening for a greater number 
as in other houses mentioned. The short length allows a 
greater circulation of air than a larger house would, and air 
is needed for comfort in the South. In the South, or even at 
the North, for summer roosting-places open sheds may be 
built simply to protect from rain and draft— a roof and two 
sides, or three sides if the open one be toward the south and 
the highest. Build as an ordinary horse shed at the country 
meeting-house. We believe in fresh air in the summer time 
for comfort, but we are inclined to think that comfort and 
health both are better conserved (preserved if you prefer) 
in winter by having as little air admitted as possible, pro- 
vided the house and fixtures are kept clean and sweet. We 
would take our chances without the ventilation anyway. If 
any ventilation at all, we would have the air come in some 
round-about way and go out by a box ventilator that came 
within two or three inches of the floor on which the drop- 
pings fell. 

BRICK OR STONE POULTRY HOUSES. 

When brick or stone are cheaper than lumber, or when 
they can be afforded, they may be used with equal advantage 



HOUSES AND FIXTURES. 221 

to lumber and will make warm poultry houses. If ceiled up 
with lumber, or furred out and plastered and sheathed up with 
tarred paper, they would be ideal poultry houses for warmth 
and dryness. The objection some raise to plastering a poultry 
house, that the fowls destroy the plastering" for the lime 
in it, ought not to hold. Enough lime should be furnished 
the poultry to prevent this. Poultry houses built of timber 
may be plastered if desired. These are easily kept free 
from vermin, and with an occasional whitewashing they are 
kept sweet and clean. 

LOG AND SOD POULTRY HOUSES. 

Good warm and dry poultry houses may be built of logs 
or sod and in banks where drainage is good. Have them face 
the south and provide light and warmth by glass in the front. 
No matter what the material of which the houses are built 
either have double-sashed windows or shutters that may be 
closed over the windows winter nights. 

A PRACTICAL POULTRY HOUSE. 

In the chapter, "Chickens on the Farm," we suggested 
that a shed attached to the poultry house was often con- 
venient and agreeable to the fowls. Such a shed may be pro- 
vided for the outdoor exercise of poultry in winter much 
cheaper than the same room (space) made frost-proof can. 
In other words, the same number of fowls can be warmly 
and healthfully housed in winter at less expense where the 
housing consists of a frost-proof roosting and nesting place 
and a shed, than where the whole room is made frost-proof. 

Fig. 12 represents such a house and shed combined. This, 
like most of the houses we illustrate, may be extended to 
any desired length. If for but one flock, we should have the 
shed at the east of the house, which will give it a sheltered 
location and not shut off the light from the hen-house. 
The shed may be closed with lath or wire netting if it is 
desired to confine the fowls temporarily at any time. A few 
perches in the shed would make it an agreeable, healthful 
roosting place in warm weather, provided the droppings 
were removed as regularly and the same care taken to pre- 
serve cleanliness as in the house. 



222 



LLOYD'S MODERN POULTRY BOOK. 



A WELL LIGHTED POULTRY HOUSE. 

As stated at the opening- of this chapter, there is some 
question about the benefit of a large part of the south front 




PIG. 12 — A PRACTICAL POULTRY HOUSE. 

of the poultry house being- made of glass. One objection to so 
much glass is the bright glare produced by so much light 
through glass. From Poultry Topics we get Fig. 13, represent- 
ing a well lighted poultry house which has a good amount of 




FIG/ 13. 

light and warmth without so much glare, as there is considera- 
ble part of the house that will be shaded by the sloping front. 
The low part covered with glass will make a fine place in 
which the fowls can sun themselves on severely cold days. 



HOUSES AND FIXTURES. 



223 



Upon days that are not so cold this glass will admit just as 
much warmth and light as the same surface of glass would 
higher up, without producing so much glare and direct heat 
out of which the fowls can not get, should they wish to. 
One other advantage this low, nearly flat, mode of admitting 
sunlight is, the night shutters for protection against cold 
are more easily adjusted than where the windows are larger 
and more nearly perpendicular. 

AN OUTSIDE INCUBATOR CELLAR. 

As suggested in the chapter on "Incubators and Brood- 
ers," there is no place for running an incubator where the 




FIG. 14— OUTSIDE INCUBATOR CELLAR. 

temperature can be more easily kept even than in a cellar and 
one specially constructed for the purpose will be the more 
satisfactory. This need not necessarily be under the dwell- 
ing house, barn, or brooder house; one may be made inde- 
pendent of any building. Fig. 14, which is reproduced from 
the American Agriculturist, shows an outside incubator cel- 
lar upon a broiler farm in Hammonton, N. J. This arrange- 
ment gives perfect satisfaction, therefore it may be con- 
sidered the best. 

HEN-HOUSE OF Ml K. BOYER. 

Perhaps there is no better posted broilerman in the coun- 
try than M. K. Boyer, Hammonton, N. J. From his "All 
about Broilers" we reproduce the illustration Fig. 15, which 
shows the elevation and ground plan of his hen-house. It is 
thirty feet long, twelve feet wide, and nine feet high to the 



224 



LLOYD'S MODERN POULTRY BOOK. 



eaves. It is covered with Neponset lining- paper. In the 
ground plan A shows door to entry. B— Entry. C— Door 




A) 



£ 



o 



TT 



TT 



9 i_ 



FIG. 15— ELEVATION AND GROUND PLAN OF M. K. BOYER'S 
HEN-HOUSE. 

from entry into pen. D— Roosts, two feet high with plat- 
form under to catch droppings. E— Windows. F— Small 
doors for fowls to get out into yards. 





FIG. 16 — A GLASS-FRONT POULTRY HOUSE. 

The pens are 73^x9 feet, the entry three feet wide. Nests 
are arranged under the dropping boards, with door opening 
into entry, making it convenient to gather eggs. There are 



HOUSES AND FIXTURES. 225 

drinking fountains and oyster-shell boxes on the right of 
each pen, as shown in diagram. 

A GLASS-FRONT POULTRY HOUSE 

Our illustration, Fig. 16, shows a neat little poultry house 
with roof sloping back nearly to the ground, while the front 
is nearly all glass, with board shutters to cover it when 
necessary. The windows are protected inside by wire 
netting. 

A very satisfactory house in which 100 hens were win- 
tered, was forty-eight feet long, eight feet wide, seven and 
one-half feet high in front, and four and one-half feet in rear. 
Shed roof shingled. South side and east end double boarded, 
and banked up to the bottom of the windows, leaving a pass- 
ageway to the door in east end, and also one for the fowls. 
On the north side and west end it was banked to the eaves. 
Four windows in the south side, with board shutters. Two 
box ventilators extended up through the roof. There were 
perches enough put up along the north side and west end to 
accommodate the fowls; under these was a wide platform; 
under the platform were the nest boxes. The house was 
divided into four rooms by means of three lath partitions, 
each partition having a lath door. 

A STRAW POULTRY HOUSE 

was built thus: A stout framework was made of posts 
and poles, and then the straw was stacked several feet deep 
all over and around it, leaving only the south side open. 
Rough boards were used to partition off a roosting and lay- 
ing room at the back side of the immense shed. There was 
not a pane of glass in this "poultry house," and the only 
cash outlay was for the few boards, nails and spikes; but it 
was a comfortable place for poultry, and the hens that were 
wintered there laid right along regardless of the outside 
weather, while the next neighbor who burned his straw 
stack to "get it out of the way," and let his fowls roost anj'- 
where they could find a place because he "couldn't afford to 
build a poultry house," bought eggs for home consumption. 

FLOORS IN POULTRY HOUSES. 

Whether to have a floor to the poultry house is a ques- 



226 LLOYD'S MODERN POULTRY BOOK. 

tion which every poultry-keeper must decide for himself. If 
the ground location of the poultry house is dry and well 
drained any other floor than the soil is unnecessary; where 
there is any likelihood of dampness it is better to have either 
a plank or cement floor. There should be an inch or more of 
dry soil or ashes on the floor; renew this as it becomes soiled. 
If six inches are put on at once it can be raked off once a 
week or so and kept clean. 

INSIDE FIXTURES. 

As stated in our introduction to this chapter we are not 
advocates for many fixtures. The nests we prefer, where 




fig. 17. 

the laying 1 - room and the sitting-room are connected, are those 
having two fronts, or interchangeable fronts. With these, 
all that is necessary, when a hen wishes to sit, is to reverse 
the back and she comes off into a room where she can feed 
with no danger of the laying hens taking possession of her 
nest during her absence. Where no hens are set, a simple 
box or row of boxes is all that is required. Have enough 
roosts and nests — enough to accommodate the number of 
fowls kept in each pen. If the perches are more than two feet 
from the ground floor have some form of ladder by which the 
fowls can reach them. The form easiest made is that shown 
by Fig. 17. A few cleats or bits of lath nailed to a six-inch 
board form it. A more substantial and elaborate one is 



HOUSES AND FIXTURES. 



227 



shown in Fig. 18, and is better than the other for heavy 
fowls. 

Where there is a passageway running lengthwise of the 
house, the nests, may be arranged so that the eggs may be 
gathered from it, and the necessity of entering the laying 
room be avoided. The nests and other fixtures may be under 
a second floor, over which are the perches, as shown in 
Fig. 11. 

We consider flat or half-round perches the best.,, They are 
all the easier for the fowls if in the rough state, that is, as 




FIG. 18. 



sawed from the tree, or with the bark on if the half of a 
pole. Have all perches on the same level, or there will be 
continual striving after the higher and crowding there, while 
the lower ones will be deserted. 

There maybe those who can more readily obtain kegs 
than boxes. Such can make capital nests from them as sug- 
gested by Fig. 19. Simply cut a hole in the side near the 
end that has not been knocked out when opening the 
keg. If the breed that is to use it is a heavy one, put 
a block of wood or other "stepping-stone" in front of the 
keg. One objection to keg nests is the fact that having so 
many cracks or seams, they present more harboring places 
for iice and other vermin than boxes. Whether boxes or 
kegs are used, have the nesting material as near the upper 



228 LLOYD'S MODERN POULTRY BOOK. 

edge of the nest as practicable, without danger of the eggs 
rolling out. This will prevent the hens from jumping upon 
and breaking the eggs that may be in the nest as they ap- 
proach it. Have the nests near the floor or else approaches to 
them, for the heavier breeds very much dislike to fly to a 




nest. Some authorities say they will not get into a nest that 
requires them to fly a foot. Have all nests, of whatever or 
however made, movable, that they may be easily taken out, 
cleaned and fumigated. 

FEEDING AND DRINKING UTENSILS. 

Feeding troughs or boxes, and drinking vessels of some 
kind are a necessity in every well regulated poultry house. 




FIG. 20. 

The best are very simple and cheap. Fig 20 shows a good- 
looking, serviceable trough for either food or water — one 
that can be cheaply and quickly made. It can also be easily 
cleaned and scalded. If dressed lumber is used in its construc- 
tion all the better. The only objection to this trough is 
that fowls will sometimes forget their "manners" and put 



HOUSES AND FIXTURES. 



229 



their feet in it; but this can be overcome by hinging" on a 
slat cover, or by making- it like Fig". 21. 

Figs. 22 and 23 show an Iowa feeding or drinking trough. 
The inventor gives the following directions for making: 
"Take a board ten inches wide of any desired length (I pre. 
fer six to eight feet); on each side nail a three-inch strip 




PIG. 21. 

same length, leaving the board full and the trough eight 
inches clear inside; then take two pieces ten inches wide and 
eleven inches long, draw a mark across them six inches from 
one end and five inches from the other, nail on each end'so 
as to have five inches above trough and two below for legs, 
then take a two-inch strip same length as inside of trough 




^'ae^Uvdtion 



FIG. 22. 

and nail on each side inside even with top of end boards, 
leaving an open space of three inches on each side for chick- 
ens to reach into trough and eat. Take a board ten inches 
wide and length of trough and place on the top, securing it in 
place by putting leather hinges (or others if able) at each 
end on one side so as to lift up cover to put in feed, and you 
have a rack the fowls can feed out of without soiling their 
feed." In the illustration our artist added the upright slats; 
made in this way, it will keep the little chickens out also. 



230 



Lloyd's modern poultry book. 



If boards from which to construct troughs like some of 
those mentioned above are not at hand, a good receptacle 
for food and drink can be made by taking a nail-keg, driving 
down the hoops and securing them firmly with nails; then 




FIG. 23. 

with an auger and knife remove a section of every other 
stave four or five inches from the bottom. In this "open- 
work" keg put the food, and while the hens can get at the 
food easily, they cannot get in and waste it by tramping 




around in it. These kegs can be used for watering fowls by 
placing a dish of water inside, or a common wooden pail can 
be fixed for a convenient drinking vessel, as shown in 
Fig. 24. 



HOUSES AND F1XTUEES. 231 

Our hens have to be content with an old. flat-bottomed 
iron kettle, old iron pans and gallon stone jars. These are 
all easily cleaned and kept sweet, and the jars neither rust 




FIG. 25. 

nor decay. For flocks of small chicks there are no better 
drinking- plates than the saucers of earthen flower pots. 

Besides the feed and water vessels, the only furniture 
needed is something to hold a supply of crushed oyster shells, 
gravel, charcoal, and other grit. For this purpose any com- 
mon box will do, placed anywhere on the floor. If you wish 
something handy to remove from the building at cleaning 
up time and also out of the way while in use, make a box 
like the one shown in Fig. 25, and hang from spikes driven 
into the side of the building, 



CHAPTER X. 



YARDS AND COOPS. 

With some poultry raisers, especially those on farms who 
have small flocks, all in the way of keeping arrangements is 
supplied when the house and fixtures are provided. With 
others, and especially those who dwell on a "town lot," the 
first thing- to be sure of is a yard or there will most surely be 
unpleasant feelings among neighbors. It is our opinion that 
no one thing has been the cause of so much unkiudly feeling 
between neighbors in small towns as "those hens." Again, 
the villager wishes a garden on his 50x125 foot lot, and he 
should have it. but hens and a garden never did well on the same 
piece of ground at the same time. With these two f aetors, 
peace in the neighborhood and a successful garden, entering 
into the poultry business, there must be another - some way 
of confining the fowls. 

In these latter days when wire netting is so readily ob- 
tained, many will prefer using it to any other material. All 
that is necessary to build a fence of this is to have posts of 
the desired length firmly set in the ground and the netting 
stretched tightly from one to the next and stapled there. 
The distance the posts should be apart must be regulated by 
the height of the fence. In a fence eight feet high we 
would not advise having the posts more than eight feet 
apart, six would be better. In a fence four feet high the 
posts may be ten or even twelve feet apart if they are 
firmly set, and the netting stretched tight and securely 
fastened to the posts. 

The height of the fence, whatever the material used, 
must depend upon the breed of fowls to be confined. 

A fence four feet high will keep in the heavjr breeds. It 
will need one eight feet high to keep in the light breeds, and 



YARDS AND COOPS. 



233 



given a wide space to "get a start' we doubt if even eight 
feet would be high enough to confine some birds. 

Next to wire netting, dressed pickets, two inches wide 
and an inch thick, make the neatest yard. Perhaps, in the 
eyes of some, a fence made of such material is even neater 
than netting. If painted they do make a very pretty fence. 
The vast majority of poultry keepers will not use paint. 

Taking the country at large there is no doubt but that 
the ordinary lath which may be had at any lumber yard will 




fig. 1. 

be the material most used. For a low, substantial fence 
made of lath, the mode of construction shown in Fig. 1 is a 
good one. In this the bottom board is a foot wide, giving a 
fence nearty five feet high. If a fence four feet high is 
sufficient it may be made by using 1x4 strips as the frame- 
work; in this case the bottom one maybe six inches or so 
from the ground. 

Where a fence eight feet high is required a good one may 
be made of lath or two-inch pickets if constructed as shown 
in Fig. 2. 

If the run or yard is for a small flock it will take no 
more lath and not as much work to make a covered run. We 
have made several in this way: Take strips 1x4 and nail 
lath to them. For the sides nail the lengths to posts set firm- 
ly in the ground; for the top lay the lengths on crosspieces 
laid on top of the posts to which the side lengths are nailed. 



234 



Lloyd's modern poultry book. 



If the run is only four feet wide you have used a third less 
lath than to build a fence eight feet high. If it is eight feet 
wide you have used no more, even if the laths are as close to- 
gether in the top as in the sides, which is not necessary. 
Such a yard will stand much more wind than one that is 
surrounded by a fence eight feet high. To move it cut the 
nails that hold the side lengths to the posts, take up the 




fig. 2. 



posts and reset; two men can easily carry the lengths. The 
only "quite a job"' about it is taking up the posts. 

When a fence that can be easily moved is required, make 
one without posts, as shown in Fig. 3, or have a wide board 
at the bottom, and nail the lath directly on that. This 
makes a fence about five feet high, and one that is difficult 
for the fowls to fly over. Waldo F. Brown, the inventor of 
the fence, enumerates its advantages as follows: 1. "Its 
cheapness, material costing about fifty-five cents a rod. 2. 
Nearly all the work of making it can be done under cover in 
stormy weather, and the fence can be set up when the 
ground is frozen so hard that it would be impossible to dig 



YARDS AND COOPS. 



235 



post holes. 3. It can be easily moved from one place to an- 
other." 

To prevent this fence from blowing over in a gale, Mr. 
Brown says: "Drive a short stake at each pair of trusses 




FIG. 3. 

and drive a nail through the brace-board into it. Most of 
these stakes need not be more than a foot above ground 
when driven, but occasionally a stake should come up to the 
top of the truss." The panels of this fence are eight feet 
long, the trusses three and one-half feet high. 




fig. 4. 

If only half a dozen fowls are kept, or a small number of 
Bantams, they may be confined in a yard with house attached 
as shown in Fig. 4. If the house part is built of half-inch 
stuff the whole outfit may be easily handled by two men and 
moved from place to place on the lot so as to give the fowls 
a fresh run every day. We have such a yard in which we 



236 



LLOYD'S MODERN POULTRY BOOK. 



shut up broody hens when we do not wish them to sit. Put 
the yard where the inmates can see the balance of the flock 
eating or enjoying- themselves scratching in the straw and it 
takes them but a short time to make up their minds they do 
not want to sit; we think a much less time than it used to 
those we in former times shut up in dark places. We give no 
feed but plenty of water to the shut-ins. The third day we let 
them out to feed with the rest. If they return to their nests, 




fig. 5. 

they are again put in the prison. This yard may be used as 
a feeding coop for young chicks. 

Speaking of feeding coops, Fig. 5 shows one we have used 
for years. It is easily made of lath, four short corner pieces 
2x2 or heavier if desired, and two crosspieces 1x2 to which 
the top lath are nailed. In such a coop or yard, little chick- 
ens may be fed with no interference from the old fowls or 
larger chickens. There is one objection to this coop. If the 
lath are near enough together to keep out a "pretty good- 
sized chicken"the little ones are soon so big that they have to 
struggle like little heroes to get through the spaces, and we 
have an idea that more than one chick with a deformed 
breastbone was given it in this struggle. Because of this we 
prefer the coop constructed as shown in Fig. 6. It takes a 
trifle more material and a little more time to make, but 
when once made it is good for years, and enough better, we 







YARDS AND COOPS. 



237 



think, to pay for this little extra outlay. These coops, also, 
are handy for shutting- up broody hens or keeping" a hen in- 
closed while her chicks run about. 

CHICKEN COOPS. 

Unless you are engaged in the broiler business only, you 
will need some coops in which to house the chicks after they 
are taken from their nests. The coop easiest made and soon- 
est prepared for occupancy is an old barrel laid upon its side 
and a few stakes driven in front of the open end. That will 




fig. 6. 

do in an emergency or for a few days, but for a continual 
abiding place either for the hen or the chicks it is not desir- 
able. It soon becomes foul and is not easily cleaned. 

To be the most successful, even in the chicken business, 
one must take time by the forelock and keep his work ahead 
of him. Getting the coops ready during* the winter before 
they are needed is one way in which work may be kept well 
in hand. The shape of the coop is a matter of little import- 
ance; its looks are nothing to the hen or chickens, but on the 
lawn or grass plot a neat coop is attractive and adds a look 
of thrift to the place not given by a ramble-shackle affair. 
One thing besides neatness, before it, for that matter, that 
must be secured in building- coops, is proper size. Make them 
large enough that the hen may be comfortable while making- 
it her home. Have the coops high and roomy. Four sqdare 
feet on the ground and high enough iu the middle so the hen 
will not bump her head when standing upright is small 
enough to be called "roomy." 



238 LLOYD'S MODERN POULTRY BOOK. 

Ali coops should be placed on high, dry ground, or have 
floors. These may be movable or fastened to the coop, as the 
owner wishes, but for ease in cleaning 1 , the movable floor is 
much preferable. Coops without bottoms should not remain 
long in a place. If for any reason they cannot be moved, the 
ground under them should be frequently scraped, and a lit- 
tle fresh soil or sand spread over the surface after each scrap- 
ing. When the bottoms of the coops are scraped, whether 
movable or stationary, they should be covered with an inch 
or so of fresh soil or sand. 

Where barrels are the cheapest material that can be ob- 
tained from which to construct coops, very convenient ones 




fig. 7. 

may be made, as shown in Fig. 7. Such a coop should not 
be made of a common flour barrel, simply because a barrel 
of that size is not large enough. Use a hogshead, lard tierce, 
or a kerosene barrel. Here are the directions which the 
genius who invented this coop gave for making it: 

"Nail every hoop on each side of a seam or line between 
the staves, with an inch nail; clinch nails are best; after 
nailing the hoops all tight, saw off the hoops on each 
side of the seam. (It is understood that if an oil barrel is 
used, the "saw" used must be a cold-chisel, and that to 
get the "inch nails" through the iron hoops a punch must 
be first used.) This leaves you with two half barrels, or half 
circles, each of which will make a fine coop. The pieces that 
formed the bottom (or top) of the barrel can be nailed in 
again at the back end of the coop; the upper part should be 
fastened with leather hinges, so as to open at pleasure; bore 
a few auger holes in the back for ventilation. Nail two par- 
allel laths on the front, to fasten the slats to, make two of 



YARDS AND COOPS. 239 

the latter to slide in and out; make a floor of rough boards 
to stand the barrel on, just a trifle smaller than the latter, 
so that rain will be shed outside on the ground. A coat of 
thick paint, or some waterproof roofing, tacked on, will 
complete as nice a coop as any one need want, and at little 
or no expense." , 

Where half-inch stuff costs no more than inch boards it 
will be better, as far as practicable, to use it in the con- 
struction of chicken coops, as it makes them so much lighter 




fig. 8. 

and handier to handle. Fig. 8 shows a convenient coop. 
From it the hen can be caught and taken without the risk 
of her dodging out under one corner as the edge of the coop 
is raised to insert the hand to catch her. The sliding door 
of the front can be easily raised with one hand while the 
other takes biddy and removes her without danger of break, 
ing her neck or back by a sudden "let go" of the coop should 
you notice her making way for liberty, while you are try- 
ing to catch her in one that had no such arrangement. 

Fig. 9 shows a coop in which beauty and usefulness are 
combined. The upper half of the front is of wire netting, 
which admits air and light, while the projecting roof keeps 
out sun and rain. The lower half is made of perpendicular 
slats, placed far enough apart to allow the chicks to pass in 
and out. Hinged to the bottom of coop in front is a door, 
A, which can be turned up over the slat front and fastened 
with a wooden "button," or with a hook, making all secure 



240 



Lloyd's modern poultry book. 



at night. This coop also has a door, shown at right side of 
cut, through which the hen may enter or be taken. 

It frequently happens that a hen will not allow chicks 
from other broods to associate with or visit her brood, and 




will punish with death all intruders on her territory. In these 
cases the chicks of the neighboring broods on the lawn or in 
the lot must be kept from danger by surrounding the coop of 
the beligerent hen with wire netting or an iuclosure of lath 




fig. 10. 

or other material through which her chicks can not go out or 
neighboring chicks come in. 

Taken all in all, there is probably no more popular chick- 
en coop than the old-fashioned triangular one shown in Fig. 
10. It is easily made and takes but little lumber. With so 



YAKDS AND COOPS. 



241 



few slats on as shown in the illustration it is rather uncom- 
fortable for the larger hens, as they must stoop some to get 
a full view of the outside world. The drop door, A, makes 
it easy to protect the brood at night, and except in very 
warm weather the air received through the screen-covered 
square in the gable will afford sufficient ventilation. 

We heartily endorse the movable floor, if there must be 
a floor in coops. Fig. 11 represents a good one that is easily 
made. Take inch boards, A A, and nail, dressed side up, to the 
cleats C C. Let both ends of both cleats project three inches, 





fig. 11. 



fig. 12. 



and the outside edge of each two inches. Make the floor 
just the right size that the coop will rest entirely upon the 
ends and edges of the cleats, so that when the door A, shown 
in Fig. 10, is closed all rain will be shed outside the floor. 
When the coop door is closed, fasten it by pegs stuck in 
the holes bored in the cleats at B B, Fig. 11. 

We know of no better way of keeping rats, other ma- 
rauders and wet out of a chicken coop which is as cheap and 
simple as this. During cold days or nights it may be closed 
in a few seconds so as to keep out the cold as much as pos- 
sible, while allowing sufficient air. If made of half-inch stuff 
these coops are very easily handled. 

Fig. 12 shows a section of a triangular coop with the 
movable floor in place. 

Once a week or oftener, when about to clean the floor, 
place a smooth piece of board the thickness of the cleats 
opposite one end of each and slide the coop slowly length- 
wise of the cleats away frcm the floor, which may then be 
scraped with a hoe. Then put on a layer of earth and slide 



242 



LLOYD'S MODEKN POULTBY BOOK. 



the coop back to its former place. The chickens are sure to 
get out of the coop, and so out of the way, jast as soon as 
you move the coop a few inches, and if care is taken none 
will be hurt. 

Fig 1 . 13 shows another triangular coop. We prefer this 
to the one illustrated by Fig. 10, as the slats are up and down 
and the door, A, may be used as a feeding board when opened, 
as shown in the illustration. This coop is supplied with air 




FIG. 13. 



through the ventilator made by the opening covered with 
wire cloth. If there are no marauders — rats, cats, minks or 
skunks — about there will be no need of netting over this — no 
need of closing the door, A, only for warmth or as a protec- 
tion in case of a driving storm. This coop to be without ob- 
jection should have a small door in the back, through which 
the hen may enter or be caught when desired. 

NUMBER OF CHICKENS TO EACH HEN. 

Having roomy coops in readiness for biddy when she 
comes off with her brood, there may be a temptation to give 
her more than she can successfully hover and rear should 
there be two hatching out at the same time. Do not yield 
to the temptation. Because she is willing to adopt some 
extra chickens, do not give her all that she can possibly 
stretch her wings over; from fifteen to twenty, according to 



YAKDS AND COOPS. '343 

the size of the hen and the season, will do much better than 
a larger family. 

If desirable to give the hen more chickens than she 
hatched, the proper time to do it is when you remove her 
from her nest to the coop before she has had an opportunity 
to count her family. If you slip the extra chicks under her 
just before she leaves the nest, or just after she settles down 
in the coop, she will never know but that she hatched them 
all. Occasionally a dark hen will object to mothering a sin- 
gle white chick, even though she hatched it, but if given a 
half-dozen or more white chicks she will mother them all. 
And there have been white hens that would not own a black 
chick, but such cranky hens are not common; generally a hen 
will mother all the chicks given her if the broods are doubled 
up at the right time. 

When removing the hen and her brood to the coop is the 
time to use more lice preventives. If the nest was pre- 
pared, the hen dusted, and there has been a dust bath handy 
during incubation, the hen and chicks will probably come 
from the nest free from lice, yet both hen and chicks should 
be examined. If any lice are found dust the hen with insect 
powder before you put her into the coop; then when she 
gathers the chickens under her they will get their share 
from her feathers. Some recommend whether lice are found 
or not, putting a drop of kerosene on the head of each chick 
as a preventive against the big head lice. One writer says; 
"The quickest and best way to apply it is to have some in 
an old cup, and as you pick up each chick just dip the tip of 
the forefinger in the kerosene and rub it on the top of the 
chick's head, taking care not to get too much of the oil, and 
to keep it out of the eyes. Just a twitch is sufficient." 

We are afraid of kerosene about little chicks; there is so 
much risk of getting on too much and killing" the chicks 
as well as the lice, that we have never used it. Rather 
chance the old hen with plenty of dust and insect powder 
or snuff about her to keep the lice off. Keep the coop 
clean, oil in the cracks of it if you like, and give the hen and 
chicks an opportunity to take a dust bath when they feel 
like it, and the probabilities are you will lose less chicks 
from lice than you will from the use of kerosene. Others 
have. 



CHAPTER XI. 
BROILERS. 

Broilers have made money for some men, they have lost 
it for others. The difference in results was occasioned by 
the difference in the men, their ways of getting the birds 
from shell to market, not in the broilers. Experience is the 
best teacher, but it is not advisable to pay too much for the 
teacher. It would be folly for a man, because he had money, 
to pay a professor of mathematics in some of our colleges 
$5,000 a year to teach his boy the rudiments of mathematics 
when he could get a teacher well versed in primary arith- 
metic for a few dollars per month. So it is folly for a man 
to go into the broiler business on a large scale for the ex- 
perience. Learn by beginning in a small way. Read the 
experience of others; if possible visit the broiler establish- 
ments of those who have been successful in this line of poultry 
farming. But after reading and visiting do not think you 
know it all, and invest several hundred or a few thousand 
dollars and lose it all in learning how to make broilers pay. 
Better make broilers a side issue till you have experience, 
or make it winter business in connection with some work 
that is at its height in the summer — fruit growing, for in- 
stance. 

A good plan for a start is to have a small brooder house 
and two incubators with a capacity of two hundred eggs 
each. With this little outfit you could run a small broiler 
business in connection with other work from which to get a 
living. As one becomes posted in the business it may be en- 
larged until the whole time is devoted to it. In that broiler 
center of this country, Hammonton, N. J., there are men 
who from October to July virtually abide in their brooder 
houses. 

In going into this business remember there are some 




BROILERS. 245 

things that have to be had whether it is run on a small scale or 
a large one. We refer now to broiler raising as a business — 
not the raising of a few chickens on the farm to be sold as 
broilers. First, there must be incubators and a place for them; 
second, a brooder house and brooders; third, eggs; and fourth, 
fuel, feed and other running expenses for four or five months 
before there is a cent income from all this outlay. If only 
an incubator or so is used the "place" need not be a house 
built expressly for the purpose. The same is true as regards 
the brooders, though a brooder house is more necessary than 
an incubator house when the business is run in a small way. 
If a farmer wishes a small broiler plant in connection 
with his other farm operations, he might put it in charge of 
his wife or daughter, but he should see that all the cleaning 
up, carrying water and other such work is done by the men 
folks — that is not woman's part of the business. Some of 
the best and most successful incubator managers at Ham- 
monton are women. 

EGGS FOR BROILERS. 

Among dairymen there is a difference of opinion as to 
whether a man who pushes everything for milk should be at 
the expense of time, milk and money to raise his cows, or 
whether he should crowd a cow for all there is in her till her 
usefulness is gone as a milker, then let her go and fill her 
place by purchase. Each system of replenishing the dairy 
has its advocates. So, in the broiler business, there are those 
who hold that the broiler raiser should keep hens to produce 
the eggs he wishes to use. One puts forth his ideas in these 
words: "The wise broiler raiser, and the one who makes the 
most out of it, raises his own eggs. Last year, those who 
bought up their eggs averaged a hatch of about thirty-five 
per cent. Such costs cut deep into the profits." 

To produce broilers from eggs that are home products re- 
quires much more land than when the eggs are bought from 
those who keep hens for their eggs. The broiler raisers who 
buy all or a portion of the eggs they use in the production of 
broilers are just as earnest in advocating the Tightness — 
profitableness — of their way as their opponents. Mr. R. G. 
White is a successful broiler raiser and he buys all the eggs 



5346 LLOYD'S MODERN POULTRY BOOK. 

he uses. He gives his reason for so doing- in these words-. 
"I do not have much faith in egg farms unless the hens can 
have a free range. I have not ground to keep enough fowls 
on su?h a plan. So I do the next best thing by buying up my 
eggs from small flocks, and from birds that have my personal 
supervision, that is, they are mated and composed of such 
bloods as will give good broilers." 

The farmer who raises a few hundred broilers as a side 
issue can produce the eggs on his farm or buy a few of his 
next neighbor to fill the incubator. 

The amount of time needed to be given to the work of 
raising broilers depends on the extent of the business. Those 
who turn out large numbers give their whole time to the 
work. Attention to incubators and brooders, preparing the 
feed, giving it and water to the chicks, with the other nec- 
essary work connected with the business, causes the day to 
slip away. Each day is a repetition of the previous one, till 
the season is over. 

PROFIT IN BROILERS. 

Before figuring on the profits of broilers, the cost of pro- 
ducing them must be considered. At the West, where grain 
is cheaper than in the East, the cost may be less than at 
Hammonton. After an interview with nearly all the broiler 
men in that section, the following estimate of cost is made. 
Eggs are reckoned at two cents apiece. To fill a 200-egg 
machine costs four dollars. To supply the heat with oil 
twenty-one days costs twenty-one cents. When the eggs are 
tested on the seventh day twenty-five per cent of them are 
thrown out. This leaves 150 eggs; if sixty-six per cent of 
these hatch, there are 100 chicks that have cost $4.21 includ- 
ing the oil. Allowing that twenty-five of them die, the sev- 
enty-five will have cost about five and a half cents apiece. 
To raise a chick up to a pound and a half or two pounds 
(broiler size) costs, including brooding, but not labor, about 
fifteen cents a pound. A two-pound broiler costs, then, thirty 
cents for raising, added to five and a half cents for the 
foundation, a total of thirty-five and a half cents, with noth- 
ing for labor. These figures are based on calculations made 
by M. K. Boyer. P. H. Jacobs says "the cost per pound 



BEOILERS. 247 

of broiler for food only is five cents." The average price for 
broilers where these figures were made was thirty cents per 
pound, giving sixty cents for a bird that cost thirty-five and 
a half cents; but before it is sold it has to be dressed, which 
costs five cents, leaving nineteen and a half cents to pay for 
the labor. Where they are raised by thousands this figures up 
a nice little sum. Broilers sell for no such prices in the West 
this season, nor do Western broilers in the New York market. 
Sixteen cents per pound is the best quotation we have seen 
this winter ('93 and '94). 

RULES FOR RUNNING BROODERS. 

Having decided to go into the broiler business, decide 
upon the incubator and brooder to be used and when ob- 
tained follow the directions for running them as given by 
the manufacturers. There are a few rules that will hold 
good in the running of all brooders. 1. Do not have 
them too warm. 2. Keep them scrupulously clean. 3. 
Have sand in the run. 4. Keep free from dampness. 
5. Do not overcrowd. Following is the room space al- 
lowed by a very successful broiler raiser. The size of the 
"mother" (brooder) in his pens is three feet square, the 
brooder floor is four feet six inches, the yard inside the pen 
is four feet six inches by five feet; and the outside yard is 
four feet six inches by sixteen feet. He aims "to have not 
over 150 chicks in the brooder the first week, although 200 
could be managed. When they run to three-fourths of a 
pound I thin down to 100. After that as a chance offers 
I take a few out, until only seventy-five are in by the time 
they reach the marketable size." 

TEEDING BROILERS. 

The one point aimed at in feeding broilers is forcing 
them to the market point in the shortest possible time. The 
food is selected and fed with this in view. The Hammonton 
broiler men have no fixed rule; they varjr the diet. M. K. 
Boyer follows this system of feeding: He has rolled oats be- 
fore them from the start, with boiled milk as a drink. After 
a few days he gives a mash made of two parts of bran, one 
part corn meal, and a handful of meat scraps, to a pail of the 



248 LLOYD'S MODERN POULTRY BOOK. 

mixture. This is scalded several hours before feeding", and 
fed warm — not hot nor sloppy. When about two weeks. old. 
cracked wheat and cracked corn are added to their diet. 
Gravel or grit of some kind is constantly before them. 
About twice ? week he adds bone meal to the mixture. He 
does not feed boiled eggs nor any condition powder. Meal 
and bran give him fine chicks. He feeds them once in two 
or three hours the first two weeks of their lives. After that 
three times a day. As an appetizer he feeds roast potatoes, 
cut in half. When the chicks are about a month old he 
changes the feed by giving equal parts of ground corn, and 
oats and bran to which meat scraps are added. Cracked 
corn is kept before them most of the time. Mr. Boyer's tes- 
timony is that this course of feeding with suitable crosses or 
pure-breds gives marketable birds quicker than any other. 

R. G. WHITE'S WAY OF FEEDING BROILERS. 

Another successful broiler raiser of Hammonton is Mr. 
R. G. White. He has a system of feeding peculiar to himself. 
He makes a johnny-cake without vinegar and soda. He puts 
animal meal into the cake instead of prepared meat. He 
prefers the meal because it is finer. This johnny-cake is the 
feed his chicks get till they are a week old. 

When they are a week old he drops the johnny-cake and 
feeds a mash composed of equal parts of corn meal, bran and 
middlings, with the usual amount of meat scraps. At this 
stage in the chick's life bowel trouble is apt to show itself. 
Oi this Mr. White keeps close watch, and regulates it with 
the middlings — lessening the quantity of middlings if the 
chicks become costive, and increasing the amount if they 
have looseness of the bowels. After trying this method for 
several years, he says he finds no trouble in keeping the 
chicks in the right condition. He feeds wheat and cracked 
corn only as a relish. Several times during the day, be- 
tween meals, he throws several handfuls of grain to them, 
thus getting them to exercise in scratching and running 
about. Grit is constantly kept before them. He uses small, 
sharp gravel, and likes it better than oyster shells for the 
purpose. When the chicks are first put into the brooder a 
pan of ground charcoal is placed before them. If after sev- 



BROILERS. 249 

eral days they do not eat any of it, charcoal is put into their 
cake and afterwards into their mash, as Mr. White says they 
must have charcoal; in fact, he attributes much of his suc- 
cess in raising chickens to the use of charcoal. Every morn- 
ing after the brooders are cleaned up oyster-shell lime is 
scattered on them. A pan of sifted coal ashes is kept con- 
stantly before the chicks. Besides affording a nice dust 
bath it gives fine picking ground for the young chicks. 

MEAT AND DRINK FOR BROILERS. 

Furnish the youngsters warm water to drink and give it 
to them in vessels from which they can drink without get- 
ting wet, for dampness is fatal. 

A raw egg stirred in the feed of twenty-five chicks three 
times a week is beneficial. The eggs that were thrown out of 
the incubator at testing time may be used for this purpose. 
Hard boiled eggs are discarded by the best poultrymen as 
being conducive to bowel disease. If the chicks become 
chilled they are apt to be troubled with bowel disease. If it 
is more common with the chicks that are feathering out fast 
they should be given raw meat once a day, as the want of 
nitrogenous matter to produce feathers is the cause of the 
debility. For this reason Dorkings, Leghorns, Games and 
Houdans, which begin to feather earlier than Brahmas, Coch- 
ins, Plymouth Rocks and Wyandottes require more animal 
food than the latter, when very young. 

RAISING BROILERS FOR CHICAGO. 

There are no extensive broiler centers about Chicago, yet 
there are some broilers raised artificially for the Chicago 
market. The system employed by Geo. B. Stapp, Hope, Ind., 
presents some interesting features, and is described in the 
American Poultry Journal by Henry Lee. His building is 
seventy-two feet long and twelve feet wide, ordinary "drop 
siding" being used in its construction. A long furnace ex- 
tends the full length of the building and is arranged to 
warm the different pens in such a manner as to make the 
ordinary brooder entirely unnecessary. This furnace is fired 
at one end. Along the top ordinary tiles are arranged side 
by side for warming the air, on the principle sometimes 



250 LLOYD'S MODERN POULTRY BOOK. 

utilized in greenhouses. The furnace and the floors of the 
pens are covered with cement. 

The incubator house, which is an auxiliary to this house, 
is built on exactly the same plan, but is only twenty feet 
long*. The floors of both houses are covered with straw 
chaff to the depth of two inches. Ample ventilation is 
provided. 

For the first three weeks of their lives the chicks are 
kept in the incubator house where the temperature is sixty- 
five to seventy degrees at six feet from the furnace. They 
are then removed to the brooder house, and placed in the room 
nearest the fire-box of the furnace, where the temperature 
is the warmest (65°), and at the end of each succeeding three 
weeks they are moved one room further away from the warm 
end of the building-. The temperature in the eighth (last) 
room is five or six degrees lower than near the fire-box. 
Thus the chicks fresh from the incubator are given the 
warmest quarters, and by the time they have reached the 
further end of the brooder house they are of marketable 
size, and a succession of hatches is nicely accommodated. No 
other warmth is needed than that furnished by the long 
furnace. The chicks sleep upon the chaff without any cov- 
ering. On a very cold morning they may be found scattered 
along the side of their room next the furnace, but as the 
temperature is uniform all along the furnace and the cement 
floor is also warm for some distance they never huddle to- 
gether. 

Mr. Stapp first tried using brooders in the rooms, but the 
chicks left them and went to the furnace— as he says "for 
comfort and fresh air." 

It is a well known fact that a healthy young chick prefers 
to sleep with its head in the open air. If the fire should 
happen to die out at night, the furnace and floor would still 
retain sufficient warmth until morning. Thus it will be seen 
the great advantages of this system over the common brooder 
are freedom from crowding and the absolute security against 
loss in case the source of heat should from any cause be 
disarranged. 

With these essential principles thus fully provided for, 



BROILERS. 251 

any good system of feeding- will make broiler rearing- on a 
large scale a success. Mr. Stapp's bill of fare is: Boiled 
rice the first three days; rice and wheat cooked together for 
the next ten; after which, or as soon as they will eat it, come 
wheat and cracked corn. The first few days they are fed four 
to six times a day; after that, three times regularly. For 
variety they have the usual bran-and-meal mush seasoned 
with a little cayenne pepper; also meat, cooked or raw, three 
times a week. Their green food is chopped onions and a 
head of cabbage to pick at. Sloppy food is avoided and no 
water is given them until eight or ten days old. No sand is 
supplied until they begin to eat dry grain. 

BREEDS FOR BROILERS. 

It is pretty generally conceded that a common dunghill 
is not a profitable chick from which to make a broiler. A 
thoroughbred cock of breeds that produce good broilers 
mated to dunghill hens will give a better broiler than simple 
dunghills, yet these will not do as well as the first matings 
of pure-breds. 

Of the pure-bred poultry that give excellent results as 
broilers we mention Wyandottes, Plymouth Rocks, Domin- 
iques, Leghorns, though some prefer Leghorns crossed upon 
other breeds. Houdans have given good satisfaction; they 
are plump, quick-growing and their meat is of fine flavor. 
Houdans have been crossed upon Cochins, Brahmas and 
Wyandottes with good results. 

The aim in crossing is to get a better broiler than either 
of those used in the cross would produce, hence we must use 
breeds that possess different merits to a marked degree. Use 
a male of a quick-growing breed and have hens with solid 
bodies and broad breasts. This gives meaty broilers. 

The same result — broilers with meaty breast — is obtained 
by using Indian Game cocks on the large breeds. On this 
account, the large amount of breast meat, the Games are be- 
coming a popular top cross. They are used on Dorkings and 
Langshans with good results. 

A Wyandotte or Plymouth Rock cock crossed on Brahma 
or Cochin hens gives hardy chicks that grow fast and to a large 
size. Some claim the very best broilers are produced by 



252 LLOYD'S MODERN POULTRY BOOK. 

White Wyandotte cocks on Light Brahma hens. White Leg- 
horns on White Wyandottes produce very quickly maturing 
broilers. One cannot go far amiss in procuring breast meat 
and plump carcasses if Dorking, Leghorn or Game cocks 
are crossed on hens of any of the larger breeds. If yellow 
legs and skin as well as plump breasts are desired, use a 
Brown Leghorn cock and Brahma or Cochin hens. Leghorns 
and^Dorkings are also crossed. 

DRESSING BROILERS. 

Broilers are dry picked. Their legs are tied to a rope 
suspended from above; the operator stabs the bird in the 
roof of the mouth with a killing- knife. As soon as the bird 
is stabbed the operator begins plucking its feathers and be- 
fore the bird is through struggling it is bare. After this it 
is pin-feathered, then cooled off before packing for market. 
They should be shipped in neat boxes or barrels. 

WHEN BROILERS SELL. 

The earlier broilers are sent to market the smaller they 
may be. Those weighing a pound or less may be sold in 
February. The March market at the East demands birds 
weighing a pound and a quarter, while pound and a half 
bircis are demanded for the April and May markets. April 
and May generally give the best prices. Early broilers sell 
best in New York City. The prices in Boston, later, are 
generally equal to those in New York. In Chicago pound 
and a half to two-pound birds sell in March. It is well to 
sell Leghorn broilers when the market demands or will take 
light ones, for later their large combs are detrimental to 
their ready sale. 



CHAPTER XII. 

SCMAPS ABOUT POULTRY. 

Most persons preserve scraps of some kind. Those who 
do not have them in a book, keep them loose in a box or filed 
away in some order. We have kept scraps about poultry for 
some time, and in the few remaining" pages of this book we 
give our readers some of them. 

A WHITE BRAHMA RECORD. 

I began by buying- a mother hen, a Buff Cochin; the 
chicks were White Brahmas — thirteen of them. 

I bought, last summer, a Buff Cochin cockerel, not fully 
grown. I weighed him to-day and he weighed nearly thir- 
teen pounds. 

Last year from sixteen hens I had 129 dozen eggs. I 
raised forty -four chicks, seventeen of which I killed; weight 
of fowls killed, from four to ten pounds each. 

My hens lay every month in the year. No month I had 
less than five dozen. My chicks that hatched in April began 
laying in November. 

LANGSHANS ON THE FARM. 

From forty Langshan hens I sold in one year 270 dozen 
of eggs. I sold them at the market price at a country store, 
and they brought me $40. We had. besides, all that we 
wanted to use in a family of four, and used about forty dozen 
for setting. 

My fowls had to roost outdoors on the fences during the 
months of September and October, as I did not have my coops 
built for them. Had they been properly sheltered I would 
have had without doubt twenty-five dozen more eggs. My 
hens have been laying all winter, have had from eight to 
eleven eggs a day. 

As I live on a farm I have aot fed my fowls at all until it 



254 LLOYD'S MODERN POULTRY BOOK. 

froze up and snow came, so what they got would have been a 
total loss if the fowls had not been there. I am now feeding 
fifty-five chickens about six quarts of oats, wheat screenings 
and barley mixed. I pour boiling water on it the night before 
feeding, and give it to them as soon as they are up in the 
morning. At night I give them about one dozen ears of corn 
to shell for themselves. I keep fresh water before them every 
day. When the days are warm I let them out in the middle 
of the day. 

EGGS AT LESS THAN A CENT EACH. 

Following is the record of fifteen Plymouth Rock hens 
belonging to Mr. Wm. Feeley, Hull, Canada: 

January . 214 

February 144 

March 283 

April .280 

May 240 

J une 211 One hen killed 

July 197 

August 187 

September 130 

October 75 

November 4 J» Hens moulting. 

December 37 



( , 



2,002 

The total cost of feed for the year, $17,90. Four of the 
hens raised thirty-nine chickens. The cost of the chickens' 
feed is included in above. One of the pullets commenced to 
lay when five months and three days old. 

A FAITHFUL SITTER. 

One poultry raiser writes, "I have a hen — an old brown 
one — that gives me more satisfaction as a sitter and mother 
than any other hen I ever saw. She must be four years old, 
but it seems to me the older she gets the better. She is a 
"scrub," a "dunghill," that's the only objection I have to 
her. Since the first day of March she has hatched out four 
broods, and has raised in all fifty chickens and has not lost a 
single one. It seems as though she has a way of her own, 



SCKAPS ABOUT POULTRY. 255 

and I must say, it has proved very satisfactory this year, and 
if I am not mistaken she did equally well last year." 

HOW TO RAISE TURKEYS. 

Desiring- to raise as many as possible to the number of 
hens kept for breeding" purposes, I set the first laying of 
eggs the turkey hens lay, under the chicken hens. When 
they hatch I examine to see if they have any vermin on them; 
if so, I dust them with insect powder and keep them cooped 
closely for three or four days, until they get used to the call 
of the hen. If allowed to run out they are likely to stray 
after any hen that comes along-. 

I feed often, and very sparingly the first week with hard 
boiled eggs and corn bread crumbs, mixed fine and dampened 
with a little barley meal, onion tops and lettuce chopped 
fine. Milk should be given them as a drink, as it keeps them 
in a healthy condition. Corn meal dough should not be 
given them, as they are liable to diarrhea and it increases 
the tendency. Their food should be strictly fresh. Keep 
cooped in the morning till the dew is off the grass, until they 
are six weeks old; for cold spring rains and dew are fatal to 
young turkeys. 

Ths second laying of eggs I let the turkey hen sit on 
and raise the brood. I do not pay much attention to them 
except to feed a little each evening to get them accustumed 
to come up at night and keep them growing. They will 
pick up most of their living in their rambles. — J. Ellars in 
Ploughman and Farmer. 

GIRLS AS POULTRY-KEEPERS. 

Take care of the hens and they will take care of you. 
Perhaps some of you will think this is not true, but if you 
will try it and attend to your business in the proper manner 
you will find that I am correct. 

I speak from eight years of actual experience in raising 
chickens for eggs. I seldom see any statements or estimates 
from the country. I know there are a great many girls who, 
if they really knew that they could support themselves and 
lay up a little money every year, would go into the chicken 
business. If you live near enough to a city to make it an 



256 LLOYD'S MODERN POULTRY BOOK. 

object to raise broilers you have an advantage that I do not, 
as I live too far from a large city to raise broilers, so I con- 
tent myself in the egg-produciug business. Your hen-house 
needs to be warm and good, but not expensive. I do not 
keep my chickens shut up any more than I can help. The 
most of the year they roam at will, gathering the waste from 
field and barn. A prominent chicken breeder called the 
other day to see how I kept the lice out of my chicken 
house. I told him I was raising chickens not lice. Keep 
your house clean, do not be afraid of a sprinkle of lime or 
ashes, the hens like it. Cleanliness is death to all nits. 

I have never had any disease among my flock. An ounce 
of prevention is worth a pound of cure when it comes to 
cholera and roup, which are easily prevented but hard to 
cure. 

I .have tried a good many different breeds, but find the 
White and Brown Leghorn to be the most profitable for 
eggs. I raise my own chicks, starting early in the spring, 
keep all the pullets and dispose of nearly all the cockerels, 
always selecting the finest birds for breeding purposes. 

I feed corn for supper every night the year round, wheat, 
buckwheat, oats and sunflower seed alternate for breakfast, 
always keeping pure clean water at hand. I give the 
chickens both sweet and sour milk, but use no pepper or 
stimulants of any kind; good feed makes good blood and that 
furnishes stimulus enough. I do not recommend slop feed of 
any kind, neither do I use it. 

I ship my eggs to a regular egg dealer who furnishes 
me with egg cases that hold thirty-six dozen each. — Country 
Cousin in Farm, Field and Stockman. 

HOW BUFF WYANDOTTES ARE PRODUCED. 

Buff Wyandottes, it is publicly claimed, have been orig- 
inated in at least three different ways: 1. By crossing the 
Golden Wyandotte and the Buff Cochin. The Golden Wy- 
andotte itself originated in several ways — by a cross of the 
Silver Wyandotte and the Winnebago, the Silver Wyandotte 
and the Buff Cochin, the Silver Wyandotte and the Partridge 
Cochin, and probably also the Silver Wyandotte and the 
Black-Breasted Red Game. There is, therefore, inasmuch as 



SCRAPS ABOUT POULTRY. 257 

the Silver Wyandotte had a portion of Asiatic blood, a con- 
siderable percentage of the blood of fowls with feathered 
shanks in this strain of the Buff Wyandotte, and it need not 
be surprising- to find many chickens with feathered shanks 
for some years to come. 

2. By crossing* the Golden Wyandotte and the Rhode Island 
Red. Just what the Rhode Island Red has been produced 
from, no one seems to know. It is a fowl of about the size 
of the Wyandotte, varying in comb but usually single, and 
of a reddish-buff color. It has never been bred to standard 
requirements but has developed on the farms of Rhode Island 
and vicinity with but the one thought of producing a g-ood 
farm fowl. It is believed to have some Cochin blood, and 
some blood of other breeds, in its make-up. The shanks are, 
for the most part, free from feathers. The Buff Wyandottes 
from this cross are scarcely as large as those from the Cochin 
cross, but are, as a rule, better layers and have fewer chick- 
ens with feathers on the shanks. 

3. By breeding from Golden Wyandottes only, selecting* 
each year those which showed the least black markings. 
This claim has been made by one or more Western breeders, 
and it is possible that a strain of Buffs might in this way be 
produced. 

In addition to these three methods the writer knows of 
one gentleman who has produced Buff Wyandottes by using- 
Golden Wyandottes deficient in black marking's, White 
Wyandottes and an Arg-onaut cock. These three varieties -all 
clean-limbed birds — have given him some very g-ood Buff 
Wyandottes which are breeding- very well. 

But every purchaser of a new variety should not expect to 
obtain the uniformity in chickens that can be had from long 
established varieties. It took quite a number of years to get 
rid of the feathers on the shanks of the Silver and the White 
and the Golden Wyandottes, and even now in the last named 
variety it would not surprise me to learn that some speci- 
mens show down at least between the toes. And the Buff 
Wyandotte, being- of so much more recent origin, will prob- 
ably require several years more of breeding- before the re- 
sults will be altog-ether satisfactory. It is, however, improv- 



258 LLOYD'S MODERN POULTRY BOOK 

ing from year to year, and bids fair to become an established 
variety. 

I think the action of the American Poultry Association in 
recognizing- the Buff Wyandotte was somewhat premature, 
but it may hasten the perfecting of the variety. Time will 
tell. Purchasers, however, who expect every chicken reared 
from Buff Wyandotte eggs in 1894 to be true to standard de- 
scription will assuredly be disappointed. I think having "no 
two alike'' in a brood need not be the experience of all if 
the best breeders are patronized, but all the chickens hatched 
will not be likely to be true to type. — H. S. Babcock, in Coun- 
try Gentleman. 

GROUND BONE AND OYSTER SHELLS. 

Do not neglect to supply sufficient raw bone, either 
crushed or in the form of meal. It contains lime, as do oyster 
shells, and it contains animal matter which is of great value. 
Bone when burnt is of comparatively little value over oyster 
shells, but when crushed or ground raw it has a value pecul- 
iar to itself. All classes of poultry are extremely fond of it. 
Care should be taken to have it pure and sweet. It is good 
for all classes and ages of poultry. For young* chicks it 
should be used in the form of meal, mixing a small quantity 
two or three times a week with their soft feed, say a quart 
to a bushel of corn meal. 

For young turkeys it is almost indispensable to prevent 
leg weakness. At about the time of their "shooting the 
red," when their health becomes established and they grow 
fast, the development of their frames and legs require a 
more liberal supply of bone material than can be afforded 
by the usual articles of food. It is well to begin to mix a 
little bone meal with the feed of young turkeys, and from 
the time the y are four weeks old it may be used freely. 

When there is trouble from soft-shelled eggs it may be 
quickly remedied by a liberal use of ground raw bone and 
oyster shells. 

Bone and shells may be fed to fowls from a narrow box 
nailed to the side of the coop; we prefer this method, as it is 
less wasteful than throwing them on the ground. To use bone 
meal beneficially it is necessary to mix it with the soft food. 



SCRAPS ABOUT POULTRY. 259 

To promote laying it is necessary to have it ground coarse. 

TO BREAK AN EGG-EATING DOG 

from eating eggs proceed as follows: "Divide a heap- 
ing teaspoonful of tartar emetic into eight or ten doses. 
Break off the end of an egg, empty a part of the contents 
and stir into the remainder left in the shell a dose of tartar 
emetic. Confine the dog in a room, or tie him, and give him 
the doctored egg. In an hour or two he will be trying to 
turn himself wrong side out. As soon as he is over the nausea 
give him a second egg and a third, if he will eat it. When 
he refuses to eat the egg, and lets it lie by him for several 
hours untouched, pry open his mouth and force the egg down 
his throat. Afterward you may trust him in your hen house. 
The object in tying the dog is to let him get nothing else to 
eat while he is under treatment or he may think it was the 
last thing eaten that made him so sick- The idea is to con- 
vince him that eggs no longer will lie on his stomach." 

A CELLAR POULTRY-HOUSE. 

A writer who has had practical experience, says that a 
barn-cellar, provided it be free from dampness, forms one of 
the very best of hen-coops, especially during the winter. 

Poultry must be warm if they are to yield eggs in cold 
weather. Barn-cellars are usually quite warm and snug; at 
any rate a little attention will render them so. The south 
and east sides will need a window to every six or eight running 
feet. The north and west sides are best banked up to the 
sills of the building. 

EGGS FOR SETTING. 

All eggs selected for hatching should be of the fair, 
ordinary size and shape usually laid by the hen or pullet 
Reject all small ones and all very large ones. They should 
also be firm and smooth in the shell. Those unusually long 
or differing in any way very much from the usual character 
of those laid by any particular bird should not be used. It 
if taken for granted that only those laid by the best stock, 
even if common farmyard fowls, will be saved for hatching. 

THE BREEDS CLASSIFIED. 

When Wright's Poultry Book, which for years was the 



260 LLOYD'S MODERN POULTRY BOOK. 

standard authority, was written the chief breeds of poultry 
were, for economic purposes, classified as follows, the order 
of naming representing- as nearly as possible their average 
comparative value, though this varied somewhat according 
to different circumstances: 

As layers: Leghorns, Hamburgs, Minorcas or Andalu- 
sians, Houdans, Brahmas, Spanish, Polish, ^Dominiques, Game, 
Cochins, La Fleche. For quality of meat: Game, La Fleche, 
Dorkings, Crevecoeurs, Houdans, Polish, Brahmas, Domin- 
iques. For size and weight: Brahmas, Cochins, Dorkings, 
Crevecoeurs, La Fleche, Malays. For hardiness: Leghorns, 
Brahmas, Dominiques, Cochins, Minorcas or Andalusians, 
Games. As sitters and mothers: Dorkings, Game, Dumpies, 
Silkies, Dominiques, Brahmas, Cochins. For a combination 
of useful qualities generally: Brahmas, Houdans, and 
Dominiques. 

With all the improvements made by pure breeding and 
selection the general arrangement into classes remains sub- 
stantially the same. We would now head the list of general- 
purpose fowls with our favorite, the Plymouth Rock. 

EGOS ONE CENT EACH. 

One who has had experience says: "We have kept close 
account of our receipts and expenses the past year and we 
find, by buying all the feed at retail, the actual cost of pro- 
ducing eggs was one cent each. 

"We used Leghorns, Houdans, Langshans and Wyandottes 
in the test. So, then, all over twelve cents a dozen is clear 
gain, while all below that figure would be a loss. Again, 
in making up the sum we found that the hens averaged 
three eggs apiece during the week. Where one can grow 
the feed, the cost should not be more than six to eight cents 
a dozen. . By careful attention, so that fowls lay a large 
percentage of their eggs in the winter, when prices are 
away up, it can readily be seen there is a good profit in an 
egg farm. 

"Through the winter I feed wheat screenings, corn, an 
occasional oat bundle, and warm feed once a day. A dish of 
milk and another of water stood in the house, also a box of 
dust, ashes and sand; [a cabbage or beet hung from the roof 



SCRAPS ABOUT POULTRY, 261 

where all could reach it. I kept some thirty odd hens 
through the winter. They commenced laying in January 
and I sold from eight to ten dozen of eggs a week through 
most of that month and February. My hen-house, though 
cheap, was warm and comfortable." 

SHOULD EGOS BE AIRED? 

One who has had large experience in artificial incubation 
says: "I have done considerable experimenting as to whether 
eggs should be aired or not in incubators. 

"I have several times tried two machines, filled at the 
same time with exactly the same kind of eggs, and sitting 
side by side; one I would air and the other I would never 
open more than two or three times during the hatch. I 
always find that in warm weather, when the eggs are not 
aired, the chicks are sure to come out too soon and not come 
evenly, sometimes a few coming out as soon as the eight- 
eenth day, while the others would run as late as the twenty- 
fourth. 

"I have also found that by airing occasionally in warm 
weather the chicks usually go the full time, and come out 
much more evenly. I do not air every day at any time, but 
two to four times a week, seldom more than three times, be- 
ing governed by the heat of the weather. 

"Airing in cold weather I have invariably found to pro- 
duce poor hatches, and I think that the eggs get all that is 
needed in cold weather during the times the machine has to 
be opened, testing eggs, etc. As long as the temperature of 
a hatching-room is below 50° I do not think it necessary to 
air eggs. At least that has been my experience." 

COMFORT OF POULTRY WHILE SHIPPING. 

To lessen the suffering of poultry while being shipped, 
follow these rules: Do not crowd them. Place cups for water 
at the four corners of the coop, and also midway between. 
Place boxes of feed by the side of the cups. Put sand and 
gravel on the floor. Have the coop at least twenty inches 
high, with a cloth top, and the sides open, so as to protect 
from the sun as well as provide air and keep the coop cool. 



262 LLOYD'S MODERN POULTRY BOOK. 

DOWNY FOWLS. 

As far back as I have been able to learn, sports with 
downy plumage have occasionally occurred. 

In the year 1887 I raised three chicks that had 
downy plumage and purchased two that were raised in a 
neighboring town. This gave me a pair of Rose-Combs and a 
trio of Single-Comb Downy fowls. 

I have been breeding them in separate yards ever since, 
and have had no return to the ordinary plumage of other 
fowls. The males in single combs came from pure-bred 
Plymouth Rocks. The males in rose combs came from the 
American Dominiques. The female ancestry of the black and 
light varieties could not be traced. 

I am now breeding them in six varieties, both rose and 
single combs, of three colors, which I have named Dominique 
Downys, Black Downys and Light Downys. The cut of the 
hen on page 263 shows the Light Downy. 

These fowls are of medium size, the weight being about 
five and a half for hens and seven for roosters. As chickens 
they are rapid growers and are never naked or ungainly 
looking. As fowls, they have, so far, proven themselves to 
be healthy, hardy and prolific, being especially adapted to a 
cold climate. They are very docile and easily confined, 
making splendid mothers. They dress nicely for market at 
any age, having plump, round bodies and clean legs. 

The peculiar characteristic of the Downy fowls is the 
structure of the feathers, which are entirely devoid of any 
web, each spray standing out separate and distinct, giving them 
the appearance of miniature ostrich plumes. The large 
feathers of the wings and tail show only a trace of web, 
hence it is impossible for them to fly at all, and being unable 
to fly, any fence they cannot jump over or crawl through, 
though but two and a half or three feet high, is sufficient to 
confine them. The body feathers all being soft and fluffy, 
are equally as good as goose feathers for bedding, making 
quite an item in their favor. — W. D. Hills, Odin, 111. 

BROILERS 

are young chickens that have been petted and pushed through 



SCRAPS ABOUT POULTRY, 



263 



the eight to ten weeks of their lives till fat and fit for the 
frying-pan. 

In the Boston market dark-colored eggs are wanted, 
while they cannot be too white for the New York taste. 




DOWNY FOWL. 



Bowker Animal Meal is a good remedy for feather-eat- 
ing according to Wm. Shepard who says: "My hens were 
picking the feathers from one another, but soon stopped 
after feeding the meal. They were laying when I com- 
menced feeding it, but it increased the number of eggs." 



^2 



264 Lloyd's modern poultry book. 



IMPORTS OF FOREIGN EGGS FOR ELEVEN TEARS. 

Year ending June 30. Dozens. Value. 

f 1883 15,279,065 $2,667 604 

1884 16,487,204 2,677,630 

1885 16,098,450 2,476,672 

1886 16,092,583 2,173,454 

5 g \ 1887 13,936,054 1,960,396 

J, E-i 1888 15,642,861 2,312,478 

g I 1889 15,918,809 2,418,976 

L1890* 15,ub2,796 2,074,012 

. t3 ( 1891 8,233,043 1,185,595 

2^1892 4,188,492 522,240 

6 « ( 1893 3,295,842 392,617 

^Protected October 6, 1890, at 5 cents per dozen. 



We find during the eight years, from 1883 to 1890, that 
we imported on an average more than 15,500,000 dozen eggs 
every year; over 124,515,000 dozen of foreign eggs sold in this 
country in eight years. What did they cost? More than $18,- 
770,000, almost $50,000 every week of the eight years sent 
abroad to foreign farmers, and yet some people in the States 
seem to think the poultry business is in danger of being 
overdone. We think not yet a while. 

As will be seen from the above table we have each suc- 
ceeding year since 1889 bought fewer foreign eggs. These 
have come from Canada and from China for use in California. 
None from Austria or Belgium, France, Germany, England, 
Scotland, Italy or the Netherlands. 

EXPORTS OF EGGS FOR TEN YEARS. 

Year. Dozens. Value. 

1883 360,023 $75,080 

1884 295,484 60,750 

1885 240,768 51,832 

1886 252,202 46,105 

1887 372,772 60,686 

1888 419,701 66,724 

1889 548,750 75,936 

1890 380,884 58,675 

1891 363,116 64,259 

1892 183,063 32,374 



Total 3,416,763 $594,439 

The average importing price was fifteen cents per dozen, 
while the exporting price averaged within a small fraction 
of seventeen and one-half cents per dozen. 



SCRAPS ABOUT POULTRY. 265 

IMPORTS OF EGGS BY COUNTRIES. 

During the fiscal year ending- June 30, 1889, the United 
States bought from foreign countries almost 16,000,000 dozen 
of eggs, for which we paid almost $2, 420, 000 or more than 
fifteen cents per dozen. The custom-house returns give the 
following- showing: 

From Dozens. Dollars. 

Austria-Hungary $ 1,528 382 

Belgium 215,164 33,223 

China 126,300 6,425 

Denmark 74,950 11,899 

France 140 24 

Germany 73,355 14,119 

England 4,914 897 

Scotland 4,100 820 

Nova Scotia, New Brunswick and Prince Ed- 
ward Island 3,637,222 481,609 

Quebec, Ontario, Manitoba and the North- 
west Territory 11,731,864 1,864,020 

British Columbia 975 86 

Hong Kong 15,219 780 

Italy 12,468 2,078 

Japan 20 5 

Mexico 18,587 2,380 

Netherlands.., 500 70 

Cuba - 1,503 154 

Turkey in Africa .... 5 

Total 15,918,809 $2,418,976 

WHERE FOREIGN EGGS WERE RECEIVED IN 1889. 

The following table, compiled from the official statistics 
of the Treasury Department at Washington, shows the towns 
and cities which received foreign eggs during the year ending 
June 30, 1889: 

At Dozens. Dollars. 

Aroostook, Maine 1,958 $ 277 

Bangor, Maine 546,826 68,142 

Bath, Maine 385 35 

Boston and Charlestown, Mass 1,938,267 270,990 

Buffalo Creek, N . Y 5,740,946 920,096 

Cape Vincent, N. Y 9,400 1,347 



366 LLOYD'S MODERN POULTRY BOOK. 

Champlain, N. Y 829,894 125,603 

Corpus Christi, Texas 32 4 

Cuyahoga, Ohio 600 80 

Detroit, Mich 437,993 54,314 

Genesee, N. Y 735 104 

Gloucester, Mass 15,783 2,342 

Huron, Mich 11,777 1,418 

Key West, Fla 1,503 154 

Marblehead, Mass 1,729 204 

New London, Conn 316 33 

New York, N. Y 392,469 63,845 

Niagara, N. Y 1,412,963 240,686 

Osweg-achie, N. Y 1,020,293 141,521 

Osweg-o, N. Y 25 5 

Paso del Norte, Texas, and New Mexico... 18,555 2,376 

Passamaquoddy, Maine 1,122,638 138,131 

Philadelphia, Pa 5 

Portland and Falmouth, Maine 2,681 328 

Portsmonth, N. H 164 18 

Providence, R. I 30 6 

Pug-et Sound, Wash 975 86 

Salem and Beverly, Mass 4,184 563 

Sandusky, Ohio 720 62 

San Francisco, Cal 126,300 6,425 

Superior, Mich 7.764 1,162 

Vermont 2,256,070 377,407 

Waldoboroug-h, Maine 3,364 485 

Willamette, Ore 10,215 507 

All other customs districts 1,255 211 

Total 15,918.809 $2,418,976 

HOW TO SELECT A GOOD LAYER. 

A writer in Nor' West Farmer and Miller says: 
"How many poultrymen can pick out a good laying hen 
from a strange flock? Not many can do it; yet it can easily 
be done after a short study of make-up and characteristics. 
"There goes a hen with a thick neck, large head, ill- 
shaped, walks listlessly about, seemingly with no intention 
or purpose in view. She doesn't care to scratch, but hangs 
around the hen-house, evidently waiting for her next feed. 
She gets up late in the morning, and goes to bed early in 
the evening. That hen may be put down as a very poor 



SCRAPS ABOUT POULTRY. 267 

layer. The eggs of some of the other hens go to help pay 
her keep. 

"Here comes another hen, She walks briskly, and there 
is an elasticity in her movements that denotes she has some- 
thing in view. She is neat and natty in appearance, small 
head, with a slim neck nicely arched or curved. She forages 
and scratches all day long, and may be too busy to come for 
her evening meal. She is at the door in the morning wait- 
ing to be let out. She snatches a few mouthfuls of feed, and 
is soon off to the meadow looking for insects. Before she 
gets out in the morning she generally deposits her daily egg 
in the nest, or returns after a short forage. She is neat, 
clean and tidy, with a brightness and a freshness pleasant to 
the eye. That is the hen that pays for her feed and gives a 
good profit all the year round. 

"The writer has noticed these traits since boyhood, and 
knows that they are infallible. By studying these traits, 
any man may in a few years, by selection, have a fine lay- 
ing flock of hens. 1 ' 

SPONOIA FOR ROUP. 

When roup is in the croup or hoarse breathing stage, 
spongia may be given with good results. This is a homeo- 
pathic remedy and what is known as third potency is gener- 
ally used. Homeopathic remedies should be used sparingly. 
Ten drops, or twenty pellets, in a quart of drinking water, 
placed where all the birds can drink it, is the proper method. 
Do not use more than ten drops. Use clean vessels, which 
should be washed and scalded every day. It is considered 
the best remedy for hoarseness that can be given. 

DEFORMED CHICKS. 

From Winnipeg comes an inquiry in regard to deformed 
chicks, Mr. A. F. Preston, of that city, sending us the fol- 
lowing letter, which calls attention to a very frequent occur- 
rence: 

"We have the hot- water incubator, and in the first hatch 
the chicks' feet seemed to be weak, and they could not 
straighten their toes. A great many were too weak to get 
out of their shells." 



268 LLOYD'S MODEEN POULTEY BOOK. 

It is due to several causes, but usually too high a temper- 
ature when the toes are crooked, but if weak and not thrifty 
for the first twenty-four hours it denotes heat may have been 
low. We could not well answer the inquiry unless the de- 
tails of hatching were given. — Poultry Keeper. 

CAMPINES. 

Since this Belgian breed has lately been admitted to the 
American Standard by some enthusiast, your readers may be 
interested in learning that "Campine" is only a French name 
for what an American would call a Penciled Hamburg; so 
that in making a place for Campines in the next Standard, it 
will be describing the same fowl under two different names. 

There are six varieties of Campines: 

1. Single-Combed Silver. 

2. Rose-Combed Silver. 

3. Single-Combed Golden. 

4. Rose-Combed Golden. 

5. Single-Combed White. 

6. Short-Legged Single-Combed Silver. 
Rose-Combed Whites have been seen also, but are so rare 

as to be unworthy of notice. Varieties two and four are 
identical with Standard Silver and Golden-Penciled Ham- 
burgs, and one and three are different only in comb. If the 
A. P. A. had really desired to make a place for these Belgian 
fowls, the proper thing would have been to have merely 
added some single-combed varieties to the Hamburg class. 
But these Belgian fowls have absolutely no merit to recom- 
mend them for exhibition purposes, and their "wonderful 
laying" is not any better than that of any other Hamburg 
uuder the same conditions. — H. P. Clarke, in Poultry 
Monthly. 

LICE IN A NUTSHELL. 

1. When chicks droop, and appear sick without cause, 
especially in summer, look for lice — not the little red mites, 
but the large gray body lice on the heads and necks. 

2. If you find them use a few drops of grease of any kind. 
A teaspoonful of oil of pennyroyal to a cup of lard is 
excellent. 



SCRAPS ABOUT POULTRY. 269 

3. Look under the wing's for the red lice, but use only a 
few drops of the lard. 

4. Never grease the bodies of chicks unless lightly, as 
grease will often kill them. 

5. Never use kerosene on chicks, unless it be a teaspoon- 
ful of kerosene to a teacup of lard, as it is irritating. 

5. Crude petroleum is always excellent, and serves as a 
liniment, but mix it with twice its quantity of lard. 

7. Keep the dust bath always ready. Use dry dirt or 
sifted coal ashes. Add Persian insect powder or oil of pen- 
nyroyal to the dirt. 

8. To rid the house of lice sprinkle coal oil everywhere — 
floor, walls, roosts, yards, roof, inside and outside, and re- 
peat often. 

9. Dust insect powder in the feathers, and be sure it is 
fresh and good. 

10. Put insect powder and tobacco dust in the nests. 
Never pour grease in the nests. Clean them out every week. 

11. Even when no lice may be present use the sprinkler 
of kerosene at least once a week; and keep the roosts always 
saturated. 

12. No matter how clean things may appear, look for the 
large lice on the heads, throats and vents. 

13. Lice abound both in winter and summer, but more 
especially in summer. 

14. One-half the chicks and young turkeys die from lice. 
Chicks or turkeys with hens or turkey hens always have lice 
(either the mites or large lice). Remember that. 

15. Always aim to get the solutions or powders into the 
cracks and crevices. 

16. The easiest and best way to whitewash is with a force 
pump. They are now made to force water from a bucket. 

17. When your chicks have bowel disease look for the big 
lice. 

18. No mites need be present where plenty of coal oil'and 
carbolic acid are used. 

19. Lice means work. Repeat these precautions and 
remedies frequently. — P. H. Jacobs in Poultry Keeper. 



270 LLOYD'S MODERN POULTRY BOOK. 

THE BLACK RUSSIAN. 

Since the meager description of the Russians in the 
chapter on breeds was in type we have obtained the follow- 
ing- information. The origin of the breed is imputed to the 
Cossacks of central or southeastern Russia. A well-known 
judge asserts that it is an American variety, to which the 
aame "Russian" was arbitrarily given. In plumage the 
Russians are a glossy greenish-black, very thickly feathered, 
especially about the head and neck. The comb is double or 
rose, fitting close to the head. It should have small or no 
spikes. The wattles are small and nearly hidden by the 
beard. The breast and body are full and deep, the skin yel- 
low, and the legs dark lead color, shading to yellow. The 
bottoms of the feet are yellow. 

The Russians endure vigorous winter weather, as the 
comb is small and of very tough consistency, being nearly 
frost-proof. The hens are acknowledged to be among the 
best of winter layers by all who know them, and good sitters 
the year round, although the same hen is not apt to sit 
more than once in a season. Some do not sit at all. 
The fowls are of medium size, weighing from six to 
eight pounds at maturity. They are excellent table fowls. 
Thus they combine the qualities of utility and beauty, being 
of stylish carriage and appearance. A fence four feet high 
is sufficient to confine them. The most serious drawback at 
present is the difficulty of obtaining non-related blood. 

CAPONS OR COCKERELS. 

Replying to an article by Mr. Leggett, part of which we 
quoted in our chapter on capons, about the profitableness of 
cockerels as compared with that of capons, Mr. J. Frank 
Tatum, of Maryland, in a recent Country Gentleman says: 
Mr. Leggett says, "Having looked carefully into the capon 
business, it suits me best to sell my surplus cockerels as they 
are." He has looked into it, but he has not given it a fair 
trial. Until lately I lived in central New Jersey. I raised 
capons and shipped to commission men in New York City, so 
they were sold in open market at wholesale. I think the 
proper test is to raise some of each from the same brood, that 



SCRAPS ABOUT POULTRY. 271 

is hatched at just the same time; take birds as evenly 
matched as possible at time of caponizing, then give them 
exactly the same chance in every way, dress one lot as care- 
fully as the other, kill all the same day, and sell all through 
the same man on same day. I have always found a differ- 
ence in price of from six to eight cents a pound, and some- 
times more. This fall I sent a lot on for Thanksgiving; this 
was one of the worst markets ever known in New York. The 
capons sold for seventeen cents per pound; the chickens for 
ten cents. All were hatched about May 1. Last March I got 
twenty-three cents for capons; chicks brought only sixteen 
cents. 

Now, it may not pay Mr. L. to have his cockerels capon- 
ized. He raises only pure-bred birds. He may be able to 
sell at fancy prices for breeding. If he can, it is quite likely 
that will pay better. It is often stated that capons will 
weigh more than cockerels of same age with same care. If 
the cockerels are cared for as Mr. L. advises, I doubt if there 
will be any difference in weight, but if they have free range, 
mix with hens, etc., there will be. Up to the time cockerels 
begin to run hens, there will be no difference; from that on, 
the capons will gain faster. He says "capons need from 
fourteen to eighteen months for full growth." I believe 
that to be so, but don't see why one need keep them until 
full grown. If they are the right kind and well cared for, 
they will do to market long before that. As before stated, 
I sold capons this fall at six and one-half months. They 
dressed eight pounds each. I never kept a capon full twelve 
months. In New York market above eight pounds brings 
top price; if much below that, goes at "slip" prices, usually 
from two to three cents a pound less. On some markets 
people don't know what a capon is. On such a market ca- 
pons may not pay. 

Mr. Leggett says: "It is not fair to quote price on extra 
fine capons and on second-quality cockerels and compare 
notes." I say it is no more fair to compare extra fine cock- 
erels with second-class capons. He implies that the loss from 
operation is quite large, i have had experts caponize my 
chickens; have also caponized both my own and others' cock- 



272 LLOYD'S MODERN POULTRY BOOK. 

erels. I am sure, if the chicks are healthy and the operation 
is properly done, the loss is so very small that it is not 
worth notice. If one should happen to die, it will be at once, 
from bleeding" to death, and it is good to eat. There is no 
extra care needed that I know of. I don't think we need 
charge capons with any extra cost, except fee for operation, 
usually three cents each (unless it may be best to hire an 
expert to dress them). They must be dry-picked. Any 
careful person can soon learn to pick dry. 

Now, say the capons and cockerels each weigh eight 
pounds; if the capon brings seven cents a pound more there 
is fifty-six cents on each bird. If we have a small capon or 
a slip, it will be four cents a pound or thirty-two cents gain 
on each. This is supposing that the cockerels are cared for 
as Mr. L. advises, and all are sold on a capon market at the 
same time, but the most chickens are raised by farmers or 
others who only raise comparatively lew, and think they 
can't yard any of their poultry (a mistaken idea, I think). 
In this case the difference in favor of the capon will be de- 
cidedly more, as he will weigh more than the cockerel. As 
Mr. L. says, the market has much to do with it. I know 
what I say is true for New York market, but on some other 
market there may not be so much difference; I am sure, how- 
ever, there will be quite a difference where people know fully 
what a capon is. Still every one must judge for himself 
what is best on his market. 

What I have said so far is simply with reference to mar- 
ket value, but unless I had a better market for breeding birds, 
or was sure all cockerels could be kept entirely by them- 
selves, I would surely have all cockerels capon ized even if it 
added nothing to uheir market value. Most chicks are raised 
with free range. From the time the males are old enough to 
run the hens, the cockerels not only don't do so well them- 
selves, but keep the hens from doing as well as they should. 
It is very seldom a true capon will ever crow, fight or notice a 
hen. A slip is usually about as bad as a cockerel. 

Tastes differ and I may be mistaken, but I think capons 
much better eating. If they have had a free range, they 
certainly are far more tender. Almost any one will admit 



SCRAPS ABOUT POULTRY. 273 

that steer meat is better than bull meat; then why should 
not capons be better than cocks? 

It is often stated that any one can caponize. He can, 
some way, if cai'eful, but no one without a good deal of prac- 
tice can do first-class work. A new hand will be sure to 
make a lot of slips. If careful, he need not kill any. Even 
an expert will make a slip now and then. The more prac- 
tice one has had, the fewer slips. There is a great deal of 
difference, not only between birds of the same breed, but 
between different breeds. As a rule, Partridge Cochins are 
easy to do, while Brahmas are hard. The first year I cut 
any, I cut seventy-four, all my own and largely Light 
Brahmas. I worked for about an hour on one chick and then 
gave it up, but cut it all right two or three weeks later. I 
could probably do the same bird in five minutes now. I 
killed three (all of which we ate) learning how, and so far 
as I know, this is all I ever lost from operating. Of the 
seventy-four the first year, there were, I think, seventeen 
slips. I therefore say if you can get an expert, do sc; but if 
you can't, do it yourself. Be sure to have the right instru- 
ments. The right kind have a hair holder. Any other kind 
are almost sure either to make slips or kill your bird. Any 
time before they start to run hens will do; after that, you 
had better not try it. If they are perfectly healthy and you 
are careful, you are not likely to lose any; but if they are 
not healthy, they are apt to die, no matter how careful you 
are. 

FERTILIZATION OF EGGS. 

The question is asked: "How soon are eggs fertilized after 
the male is admitted to the flock?" It is probable that with 
chickens life is imparted to the germ of the fowl by each spe- 
cific copulation. The hen is most susceptible immediately 
upon leaving the nest after laying. It is claimed by some 
that ten days should elapse before it is safe to count upon the 
egg being surely fertilized. One copulation fertilizes the 
whole litter or batch of eggs a turkey hen lays. 

As to the number of cocks to have with a given number 
of hens, too many are as bad as too few. In fact, some claim 
that too many are worse than too few, for when the number 



274 LLOYD'S MODERN POULTRY ROOK. 

of male birds is out of proportion to the number of females 
in a flock, the hens are so worried with the attention given 
that they get disgusted and mad and dodge them entirely. 
If the flock has free range there may be more hens with one 
male than when they are kept in yards. 

A writer who has given much study and observation to 
the subject of egg fertilization says: "I used to have the 
notion that it was a good plan to keep the sexes apart until 
ten days or so of the time when the eggs were wanted for 
incubation. That notion is gone. I found by experience 
that when the roosters were with the hens right along 
for a month or six weeks before the eggs were wanted 
for incubation nearly every egg was fertile; while 
on the other hand, when a strange rooster was put 
with the hens only ten days or so previous to the time 
of using the eggs for setting, a large per cent were infertile; 
therefore, when you have to buy male birds, I advise you to 
buy early — in the fall if possible — certainly early enough so 
that they can be with the hens at least a month before you 
set the eggs. When you raise your breeding stock let the 
sexes run together right along after the moulting season is 
over. When your fowls are once mated do not, unless abso- 
lutely necessary, change roosters during the hatching sea- 
son; if obliged to do so, do not, if you want the eggs to 
hatch true to the new mating, set the eggs laid during the 
first ten days after the change of male birds." 

DO NOT USE HEAVY ROOSTERS FOR LIGHT HENS. 

When crosses are made of light and heavy breeds, as for 
broilers, the male should be of the light breed, as a heavy 
male is apt to injure the hens of a lighter breed. If the hen 
is not ruined as a breeder, her wings may be broken or she 
otherwise so hurt as to render her of no use except for the 
pot, and sometimes fever sets in before the injury is discov- 
ered, in which case she is unfit for table use. 

APOPLEXY. 

When one of the biggest and best of the flock acts as 
though it was in a spasm, tries to stand on its head or whirls 
and runs about as though it was crazy, you may be pretty 



SCRAPS ABOUT POULTRY. 275 

sure the trouble is apoplexy. Sometimes one of these nice, 
fat ones will be found dead under the roost. In this case 
death was very likely caused by apoplexy. Prevention is 
better than cure, for generally when a bird is discovered 
going with apoplexy it is so near gone that it dies in spite 
of efforts to save. One of the symptoms sometimes seen be- 
fore it is too late to save is drooping wings and a staggering 
walk. So if a fat fowl is seen going as though drunk, catch 
and give a dessertspoonful of castor oil and shut up for 
twenty-four hours where food can not be had, then feed 
lightly on cooked food for a week. If pretty near gone when 
you notice it, hold its head under a stream of cold water or 
plunge it head first into cold water. If it revives give it the 
treatment advised above. The best preventive of apoplexy is 
to feed sparingly of corn in hot weather and to give plenty 
of exercise to the fowls at all seasons of the year. 

VERTIGO 

is produced by too much blood or too much fat, and causes 
the fowl to run about as though confused and unable to tell 
which way to turn. Similar to apoplexy. To cure keep in a 
cool, shady place, feed sparingly and give occasionally three 
grains of jalap. 

pip 

is supposed to be produced by indigestion, which causes an 
inflamed mouth and tongue, resulting in a horny scale on 
the point of the tongue. Some claim this scale should be re- 
moved with the point of a sharp penknife and a pinch of 
powdered chlorate of potash dropped in the fowl's throat and 
upon the tongue. Others claim the pip should not be forci- 
bly removed, but that the cause, indigestion, should be over- 
come by administering daily two or three grains of black 
pepper in fresh butter. We have never had occasion to try 
either cure. 



INDEX. 



Abortion '. 104 

American Breeds 13 

Anaemia, Causes of 121 

Symptoms of 121 

Treatment of 122 

Anaemic Poultry 120 

Andalusians 35 

Animal Food Necessary 202 

Apoplexy 274 

Appearance of Eggs 174, 176 

Argonaut 20 

Artificial Heat 311 

Asiatic Breeds 13 

Asiatics in Confinement 199 

Baking Cakes 87 

Bantams 13, 47 

Black African 47 

Black-Breasted Red Game 50 

Booted White 48 

Game 50 

Golden Sebright 47 

In Confinement 199 

Japanese 49 

Odd Varieties 51 

Pekin or Cochin 47 

Rose-Combed Red 51 

Rose-Combed White 51 

Silver Sebright 48 

White-Crested White Polish 49 

Barley 80 

Begin small 202 

Black Russian, The 270 

Black-rot 104 

Bones, Crushed 83 

Ground 258 

Books (Directory) 17 

Boston Market 97 

Game for 98 

Massachusetts Law 98 

Packing for 98 

Poultry for 97 

Brahmas, Dark 43 

Light 41 

Breeders (Directory) I 

Breeding Poultry, Shipping 102 

Breeds classified 259 

Broilers 244 

As a side issue 244 

Breeds for 251 

Definition of 262 

Dressing 252 

Eggs for 245 

Experience Needed to Raise — 244 

Feeding 247, 251 

Feeding, R. G. White's Way of. 248 

Fresh Air for 250 

Incubators Needed for 245 



Meat and Drink for 249 

On the Farm 198 

Packing for Market 101 

Profits in 246 

Raising for Chicago 249 

Space required by 247 

Weight of 246 

When to Sell 252 

Women Raising 245 

Broken Eggs 196 

Bronchitis 104 

Brooder Houses 182 

Brooders, Description of 170 

Home-made 178 

Rules for Running 247 

Size of 182 

Broody Hens, Breaking up 236 

Buckwheat 80 

Buildings not Needed, Expensive. . . 76 

Bumble-foot 104 

Remedies for 132 

Campines * 268 

Caponizing «. . 148 

Age for 149 

Beginning of 148 

Description of Tools 148 

Directions for 149 

Operating Table 153 

Profits of 155, 160 

Capons 148 

Definition of 148 

Dressing 155 

Notes on 156 

Notes on Experiments 157 

Or Cockerels... 270 

Prices of 271 

Selling 159 

When to Make 159 

Weight Compared with Roost- 
ers 161,271 

Catarrh 105 

Chicago Market, Broilers for 252 

Capons for 94 

Chickens for 93 

Ducks and Geese for 94 

Packing and Shipping to 96 

Thanksgiving Day Poultry 96 

Turkeys for 94 

Chicks, Number to Hen 242 

Deformed 267 

Of Other Hens 240 

When to Hatch 198 

Children as Chicken-Raisers 194 

Chilled Chicks 133 

Chills 107 

Cholera 115 

Disinfectants 117 



INDEX. 



277 



Preventives 116 

Remedies 117, 119 

Symptoms of 116 

Coal Ashes 197 

Cochins, Black 61 

Buff 22 

English "Full Feathered" 59 

Partridge 22 

White 21 

Cocks, Number of Hens to. . .182, 199, 273 

Too Many, Injurious 182 

Time to he with Hens 274 

Commission Firms (Directory) 16 

Common Hens, How to Improve 193 

Condition Powder 134 

Consumption 105 

Cooked Feed 86 

Cook food, How to 86 

Coops, Barrels as 237, 238 

Cleaning the 241 

Convenient 239 

For feeding 236 

For young chicks 237 

Keeping Rats out of 241 

Movable floor for 238, 241 

Ornamental 239 

Placed on high ground 238 

Roomy 237 

Triangular 240, 242 

Without bottoms 238 

Corn 79 

Crevecoeurs 33 

Crop Bound 128 

Soft or Swelled 105 

Curassow 63 

Dealers in Poultry Supplies 

(Directory) 14 

Death From Insects 106 

Debility 132 

Definitions 6 

Diarrhea 106 

Different Sets of Hens 201 

Diseases, General Remarks 103 

Of Ducks 106 

Of Turkeys 140 

Unnamed 107 

Disinfectant, A Cheap 117 

Dog, To Break an Egg-Bating 259 

Domestication Alters Conditions 76 

Dominiques, American 57 

Don't Expect Eggs 195 

Dorkings, Colored 37 

Silver Gray 37 

White 37 

Doubling up Broods 243 

Douglass Mixture 134 

Downy Fowls 262 

Dressed Poultry, Massachusetts 

Law Regarding 98 

Dressing Poultry 93 

Drinking Utensils 230 

Vessels, Scald 204 

Droppings, Care of 201 

Ducks 14 

Aylesbury 69 

Black East Indian 73 

Breeders of (Directory) 12 

Call, Gray 73 

Call, White 73 

Care after Hatching 142 

Care while Hatching 142 



Cayuga 70 

Crested White 71 

Diarrhea in 106 

Diseases of 106 

Dressing for Market 94 

Early Hatching for Breeders 143 

Feeding Ducklings 143 

Fertile Eggs without Water 141 

.First Feed 142 

Handle Carefully 144 

Incubators for 144 

Late Ducklings 143 

Lay Anywhere 144 

Muscovy, Colored 71 

Muscc-^. White 71 

Number co Drake 141 

Pekin 71 

Picking 144 

Raising 140 

Rouen ....■ 68 

Setting Eggs Under Hens 141 

Shade for Ducklings 144 

Shelterfor 141 

Spring 141 

Stampede, To stop ;. 73 

Water not Necessary 141 

Dust Bath 197 

Dysentery 106 

Egg-Bound 128 

Egg Farming 200 

Shells 89 

Tester, How to Make an 184 

Eggs, Appearance of 174, 176 

At Less Than a Cent 254 

Color of for Market 263 

Dog-Eating 259 

Exports of 264 

Fertilization of 273 

For Hatching 182 

For Setting 259 

Gathering for Hatching 184 

How long to Keep 174 

Imports of 264, 265 

Keeping for Hatching 184 

One Cent Each 260 

Soft-shelled 258 

Should They Be Aired 261 

English Breeds 14 

Enlarged Liver 107 

Eruptions 108 

Experiment, An Interesting 180 

Fatten, At What Age to 90 

Feather-eating 130, 263 

Feed 76 

Baking cakes 87 

Barley 80 

Bones, Crushed 83 

Buckwheat 80 

Cooked 86 

Cook, How to 86 

Corn 79 

Eggs 249 

Egg-shells 89 

Fish 84 

For Broilers 249 

For Young Chicks 87 

Green, Necessary 84, 202 

Hay or Corn-stalks 85 

How, When, and What to 01 

Hungarian 80 

Insects 81 



378 



Lloyd's modern poultry book. 



Meat 82 

Meat, Proportion of 82 

Meat, Large Pieces or Smal 1 . . . . 83 

Milk 84 

Millet 80 

Oats.. 79 

Pasturage. How large 84 

Regular 88 

Rice..... 80 

Salt...... • 89 



Sloppy.. 

Table Scraps 

Vegetables for winter 

Weeds 

Wheat 

Wholesome 

Worms 

Feeding Broilers 

For Eggs , 

For Fat 

For Frame and Flesh 

Incubator Chicks 

Meat to Young Chicks 

Troughs 

Values, Table of 

Fish 

Free Range 

French Breeds 

Frizzles 

Frost-bite 

Games 

Black 

Black-Breasted Red 

Black-Breasted Red Malay. 

Black Sumatra 

Brown Red 

Golden Duckwing 

Indian , 

Origin of 

Pit 

Red Pyle 

Silver Duckwings 

White 

Capes 



African 

Age of Maturity 

Breeders of (Directory) 

Canada 

Care while Sitting 

Chinese, Brown 

Chinese, White 

Egyptian 

Embden 

Fattening 

Feathers 

Food for Goslings 

"Green" , 

Hatching 

Herding 

Monogamous by Nature 

Pasture Needed for 

Raising 

Setting Eggs under Hens 

Toulouse 

Vegetables for ,. 

General-Purpose Breeds 

Girls as Poultry Raisers 

Glass in Poultry Houses 

Gout 



87 

82 

85 

86 

?9 

79 

81 

247 

88 

9C 

87 

177 

83 

228 

77 

84 

200 

14 

60 

108 

14 

54 

53 

53 

31 

62 

54 

35 

51 

54 

62 

54 

54 

109 

14 

74 

145 

13 

75 

146 

75 

75 

74 

73 

147 

147 

146 

147 

146 

147 

145 

145 

145 

146 

74 

146 

260 

255 

204 

111 



Green Food. How to Supply. 202 

Green Food Necessary 84, 202 

"Grit" Box... .o 231 

Ground Bones 258 

Guinea Fowl 24 

Guineas, White 30 

Hamburg 14 

Black 23 

Golden-Penciled , 55 

Golden-Spangled 55 

Silver-Penciled 55 

Silver-Spangled 40 

White 55 

Hardy Breeds 260 

Hatching Chickens, Care of 196 

Hay or Corn Stalks 85 

Houdans 32 

How Long to Keep Eggs 174 

Hungarian 80 

Improving the Stock 193 

Incubators 163 

Advantages of, 163 

Cellar, An Outside 223 

Chimney of 168 

Description of 165 

Difference in 163 

Directions for Running 168 

Home-made 185 

Directions for Operating i!'0 

Egg Drawer of 187 

Inner Box of 186 

Outer Box of 185 

Tank of 188 

Ventilator of 187 

Lamp of 167 

Mode of Hatching in 165 

Moisture in 167 

Not an Experiment 163 

Regulators of 166 

Reminders About 181 

Tank of 165 

Indigestion 130 

Insects 81 

Inside Fixtures 226 

Japanese Phoenix 55 

Javas, Black 43 

Mottled 43 

White 43 

Jersey Blues 60 

Keep Clean 76 

Sitting Hens Separate 195 

Ladders 226 

La Fleche 35 

Langshans 30 

On the Farm 253 

Late Hatched Chickens 199 

Layers 260 

Layer, How to Select a Good One. . . 266 

Earlier Pullets for 198 

Leghorns, Black 39 

Brown 40 

Buff 18 

Dominique 39 

White 37 

Leg Weakness 1 10 

Lice 111,268 

Bisulphide of Carbon for 114 

Causes of 112 

Crude Petroleum for 114 

Dust Bath for 112 



INDEX. 



279 



feerosene for 

Sassafras Oil for 

Tansy for 

Tobacco for 

To Get Rid of 

Live Poultry Shipping 

Liver Complaint 

Enlargement of 

Meat 

Large Pieces or Small 

Producers. 

Proportion of 

Mediterranean Breeds 

Milk 

Millet 

Minneapolis Market 

Minorcas, Black 

White 

Miscellaneous Breeders. . (Directory) 



Naked-Necked Fowl 

Nests 209, 226, 

New York Market 

Nomenclature 

Number of Hens to Cock 182, 

Oats 

Old Hens, Keeping 

Omnivorous Eaters 

Orpingtons 

Out of Doors in Winter 

Oyster Shells 

Painting the Nests 

Paralysis 

Pasture, How large a 

Perches. 204, 207, 208, 

Periodicals (Directory) 

Philadelphia Market, Dressing Poul- 
try for 

Game for 

Packing Poultry for 

Pip 

Plymouth Rocks, Barred 

White 

Polish 

Bearded Golden 

Bearded Silver 

Bearded White 

Buff-Laced 

Golden 

Silver 

White 

White-Crested Black 

Poulardes 

Poultry at Large 

Breeders (Directory) 

In Towns 

Raising is Profitable 

Shipping, Comfort of 

Poultry House 

Barn Cellar 

Boyer's, M. K 

Brick or Stone 

Cellar, A 

Convenient, A 211, 

Cost oi 

Fifteen -dollar One 

Floors in 

For Leghorns 

For One Hundred Hens 

For Seventy-Five Fowls 

For Several Breeds 



243 Glass Front, A 225 

113 Indiana, An 206 

113 Log and Sod 221 

114 Mississippi, A 202 

113 Missouri, A 208 

101 Neat Little, A 210 

131 Ohio, An 213 

131 On the Farm 195 

82 Practical, A 221 

83 Roomy, A 217 

260 Straw, A 225 

82 Tarred Paper for Covering 207 

14 Ventilation of 206 

84 Well Lighted, A 222 

80 Pure-bred Fowls, Advantages of 194 

100 Eggsof 194 

41 Not Necessary 193 

41 Purchasing 194 

13 Rats, Keeping out 241 

14 Record, A Light Brahma 253 

45 Redcaps 55 

227 Rice 80 

100 Roosters, Don't Keep too Many .... 198 

12 Weight of to Use 274 

199 Roosting too Young, Evils of 197 

79 Roost, Teaching Chickens to 197 

198 Roup 123 

78 Canker Form 127 

58 Eye Ointment 128 

198 How to Treat 127 

258 Injections into the Nostrils for. . 126 

196 Namesof 125 

111 Prevention of 124 

84 Remedies for 125, 127, 128 

227 Soap Remedy 128 

19 Spongiafor 267 

Swelled Head 126 

99 Symptoms of 124 

100 Tonics for 127 

99 Rumpless 63 

275 Russians 60, 270 

15 St. Louis Market 100 

18 Salt. 89 

14 Sand for Nests 184 

23 Scabby Legs 129 

61 "Scraps" 253 

61 "Scratching Place" 197 

61 Seasoning Feed 89 

25 Setting Dirty Eggs 184 

61 Shade for Poultry 202 

61 Sherwoods 36 

19 Shipping Breeding Poultry 102 

161 Live Poultry 101 

195 Poultry 93 

1 Shutters for Winter 205 

199 Silkies 57 

200 Sitter, A Faithful 254 

261 Sitters 260 

203 Sitting Hens, Care of 195, 196 

219 Size, Breeds for 260 

223 Sloppy Food 87 

220 Small Flocks 200 

259 Soil for Poultry 202 

217 Soft-shell Eggs 119 

203 SoreEyes 107 

205 Spanish, Black 57 

225 Stoves for Winter 210 

214 Sunflower Seeds 80 

209 Supplies, Dealers in (Directory) 14 

216 Swelled Eyes 133 

216 Table Scraps 82 



280 



LLOYD S MODERN POULTRY BOOK. 



Tester, How to Make a 184 

Testing Eggs 172, 184 

Advantage of 172 

How to Test 172 

When to Test 172 

Tonic Powders 123 

Troughs for Feeding 228 

Turkeys 14 

Age for Breeding 136 

Black 67 

Breeders of (Directory) 11 

Bronze 66 

Buff 68 

Care after Hatching 138 

Diseases of . 140 

Fattening for Market. . 140 

Feeding Poult 138 

Feeding While Sitting 137 

Keep Young Turkeys out of Damp 139 

Mammoth White 67 

Narragansett 68 

Number to Gobbler 136 

Purchasing Stock 135 

Raising 135, 225 

Setting Eggs under Hens 137 

Setting the Eggs 136 

Slate 68 

Starting a Flock of 137 

Treatment when Chilled 140 

Use Insect Powder 136 

When Out of Danger 140 

White Holland 68 



Wild 64 

Women as Turkey Raisers J to 

Unrecognized Breeds 14 

Vegetables for Winter 85 

Vertigo 275 

Violettes 43 

Warm Water. ; 198 

Weeds 86 

Weight of Incubator Chicks 178 

Winter Care of Chickens 197 

Wheat 79 

White Comb 108 

White Wonders -.-. . . 37 

Wholesome Food 78 

Why Chickens are Unprofitable.. 192, 199 

Worms 81, 133 

Wyandottes, Black 44 

Buff 44, 256 

Columbian 44 

Golden 44 

Silver 44 

White 44 

Yards, Covered 233 

Height of 232 

Lath for 233 

Movable 234 

Need of 232 

Pickets for 232 

Wire Netting for 232 

With House Attached 235 

Young Chicks, Care of 196 



DIRECTORY. 

BREEDERS OF POULTRY. 

The following" list includes the names of breeders who 
sell eggs for hatching, or stock for breeding purposes, or 
both eggs and stock: 

ANCONAS. 

Geo W Davis, M. D., Pleasantville, Maryland. 
Francis A Mortimer, Pottsville, Pennsylvania. 

ANDALUSIANS. 

A H Cook, P. O. Box 181, Champlain, New York. 

M Coleman, P. O. Box 187, New Rochelle, New York. 

Ed Hoffman, Glenville, Cuy County, Ohio. 

Sam Spear. Eureka, Illinois. 

J Dilworth, 170 King street East, Toronto, Ontario. 

ARGONAUTS. 

H S Babcock, Providence, Rhode Island. 

ASTRACHANS— BLACK. 

Geo W Davis, M. D., Pleasantville, Maryland. 
W A Williams, Rome City, Indiana. 

BANTAMS— BLACK AFRICAN. 

E M Crossman, Batavia, Illinois. 

R A Chester, Box 612, Sarnia, Ontario. 

Henry Muehlenfeld, 914 Kentucky ave., Quincy, Illinois. 

BANTAMS— COCHIN OR PEKIN— BLACK. 

JF Knox, 162 Crescent avenue, Buffalo, New York. 

BANTAMS — COCHIN OR PEKIN — BT7FE. 

D H Lowry, Brussels, Ontario. 

Theo Sternberg-, Ellsworth, Kansas. » 

Henry Muehlenfeld, Quincy, Illinois. 

Thos Lund, Landenburgh, Pennsylvania. 

BANTAMS— COCHIN OR PEKIN— WHITE. 
Whitney Bros, Gouverneur, New York. 
Harry ./ Streuber, Erie, Pennsylvania. 

BANTAMS — BOOTED WHITE. 

C E Rockenstyre, Albany, New York. 
Oldrieve & Nicol, Kingston, Ontario. 

BANT AMS— COO- COO. 

Middleton & Heys,' Waverly, Massachusetts. 



3 Lloyd's modern poultry book. 

bantams— game-. 
Bernard Mohan, Reading, Pennsylvania. 
E R Spaulding, Jaffery, New Hampshire. 
H H Krier, Owatonna, Minnesota. 
S E VVurst, Elyria, Ohio. 
Wm Barber, Toronto, Ontario. 

BANTAMS — JAPANESE. 
Richard Oke, London, Ontario. 
W C Geyer & Co., Norwich, Ohio. 
Kinter & Co., Box 22, Dillsburgh, Pennsylvania. 
Edward Andrews, Box 551, Adams. Massachusetts. 
J H Matthews, Tarkio, Missouri. 

BANTAMS— JAPANESE— WHITE. 

Whitney Bros., Gouverneur, New York. 

BANTAMS— POLISH— WHITE-CRESTED WHITE. 

W H Lewis, Huntington, New York. 

Chas L Seeley, Lock Box 4, Afton, New York. 

Geo Kain, Gait, Ontario. 

J R Brabazon, Delavan, Wisconsin. 

BANTAMS— POLISH— BEARDED WHITE. 

F B Ziramer & Co., Lock Box 207, Gloversville, New York 

BANTAMS— ROSE-COMBED— BLACK. 

Frank D L^wis & Bro., Amsterdam, New York. 
Frank P Quinby, Box C, White Plains, New York. 
Richard Oke, London, Ontario. 

BANTAMS— ROSE-COMBED— WHITE. 

J C Hilke, Box 774, Canajoharie, New York. 

BANTAMS— SEBRIGHT— GOLDEN. 

FRANK D. LEWIS & BRO., Amsterdam, N. Y. 

Phil Williams, Taunton, Massachusetts. 
A C Ewing, Mt. Cory, Ohio. 
Geo Brisbin & Co., Clyde, New York. 
JnojWoolley, Sec, Streator, Illinois. 
J G Carter, Box 167, Picton, Ontario. 

BANTAMS— SEBRIGHT— SILVER. 

FRANK D. LEWIS & BRO., Amsterdam, N. Y. 

C H Proper, Summit, New York. 

S J Titus, North Norwich, New York. 

E M Hunt, Shelton, Connecticut. 

W McNeil, 774 Waterloo street, London, Ontario. 

BRAHMAS— DARK. 

W A Fuller, Fultonville, New York. 

Jas McLaren, Stephens street, Owen Sound, Ontario. 

Edgemount Poultry Yards, Reading 1 , Pennsylvania. 

Chas Gammerdinger, Columbus, Ohio. 

W N Boyles, Greensburg-, Indiana. 

Levi Keys, Vermillion Grove, Illinois. 

BRAHMAS— LIGHT. 

Casper Dice, Roca, Nebraska. 



BREEDERS OE POULTRY. 

J H Warner, Niskayuna, New York. 

Mrs E M Haskell, Exeter, Illinois. 

L H Morse, Newark New York. 

Mrs B F Scott, Burlington, Kansas. 

Seeley Bros., Lansing, Michigan. 

Roy B Clark, Chatham, New York. 

A G West, Fayetteville, Walworth County, Wisconsin. 

Haycock & Kent, Kingston, Ontario. 

COCHINS— BLACK. 

Theo Sternberg, Ellsworth, Kansas. 

R P Thompson, Box 43, Patterson, New Jersey. 

R G Buffinton, Fall River, Massachusetts. 

W McNeil, 774 Waterloo street, London, Ontario. 

COCHINS — BUFF. 

Dr. H F Ballard, Chenoa, Illinois. 

J A Secord, Searsburg, Schuyler County, New York. 

F C Hare, Whitby, Ontario. 

J A Wilson, Amesburv, Massachusetts. 

E T Blood, Kent, Ohio. 

E B Easter, 1440 Grand River avenue, Detroit, Michigan. 

J W Russell, Vermillion, South Dakota. 

COCHINS— PARTRIDGE. 

John and P F Spahr, Carlisle, Pennsylvania. 

W Lovell, Box 357, Gait, Ontario. 

Geo Neutse, Coshocton. Ohio. 

J S Wells, Greenport, Suffolk County, New York. 

John Irons, Stronghurst, Illinois. 

G D Holden, Owatonna, Minnesota. 

J V Gilbert, Muncie, Indiana. 

COCHINS— WHITE . 

J K Holmes, South Schodack, New York. 
E C Stewart, Franklin, New York. 
C C Shoemaker, Freeport, Illinois. 

Frvtown Poultry Farm and Kennels, Hannibal, Missouri. 
F R Webber, Box 268, Guelph, Ontario. 
CREEPERS. 

T T Jones, Prospect, Ohio 

CREVECOEURS; 

F H Dolbear, Bower's Corners, New York. 
C A Sharp & Company, Lockport, New York. 
Standard Poultry Club, Albion, Illinois. 
Richard Oke, London, Ontario. 
Chas. Gammerdinger, Columbus, Ohio. 

DOMINIQUES— AMERICAN. 
R W Roberts, Camroden. New York. 
John B Avery, Stittville, Oneida County, New York. 
Thos. H Crowder, Bethany, Illinois. 
D H Gile, Darien, Wisconsin. 
J M Wise, Freeport, Illinois. 

DORKINGS— COLORED. 

Henry Hales, Ridgewood, New Jersey. 






LLOYD'S MODERN POULTRY BOOK. 

John Laurie, Malvern P. O., Ontario. 
G F Davis & Co., Dyer, Indiana. 

DORKINGS— SILVER GRAY. 

J H Pitney, Eagle Bridge, New York. 
A J Smith, New Millport, Pennsysvania. 
W Westfall, Sayre, Pennsylvania. 
Allen Bros., Newcastle, Ontario. 
Albion Poultry Yards, Albion, Illinois. 

DORKINGS— WHITE. 

Arthur L Gardner, Manager, Vermillion, New York. 
Beeler's White Stock Farm, Clifton, Indiana. 
Freeman & Button, Cottons, New York. 
Mrs D B Swift, Shelbina, Missouri. 

DOWNY. 

W D Hills, Odin, Illinois. 

ERMINETTES. 

M Watson, South New Haven, New York. 

FRIZZLES. 

C E Rockenstyre, Albany, New York. 
L Rottman, Benton, Ohio. 

GAMES— BLACK. 

Fowler & Lloyd, Williamstown, Pennylvania. 

GAMES— BLACK-BREASTED RED. 

J L Corcoran, Stratford, Ontario. 

N Bentley, Lock Box 15, Conewango Valley, New York. 

Wesley Lanius, Greenburg, Indiana. 

W M Clarke, Brookfield, New York. 

W R Collie, Delavan, Wisconsin. 

W E Walden, Watervliet, Michigan. 

GAMES— BLACK RED. 

Larkin W Farrar, Buckfield, Maine. 

E T Blood, Kent, Ohio. 

Swan & Duffield, Wingham, Ontario. 

GAMES— BROWN RED. 

Geo N Thomas, Trenton, New Jersey. 
Foreman Bros., Collingwood. Ontario. 

GAMES— DUCKWING— GOLDEN. 

Chas E Rogers, New Market, New Jersey. 
D A Lowry, Brussels, Ontario. 

GAMES— DUCKWING— SILVER. 

C H Leach, 11 Montgomery street, Gloversville, New York. 

Mrs G D Smith, Preston, Ontario. 

Jas Yount, Freeport, Illinois. 

R Sutton, Richland Center, Wisconsin. 

GAMES— HEATHWOOD. 

J Oliver & Son, Charlotteville, New York. 

A Oliver, Summit, New York. 

John M Jacobs, Box 13, Lansdale, Pennsylvania. 



BREEDERS OF POULTRY. 



GAMES — INDIAN. 



M E Savoss, Edison Park, Illinois. 

Robert A Colt, Manager, Pittsfield, Massachusetts. 

Dr Otto Von Long-, Salem, New Jersey. 

D G Davies, 91 Grange avenue, Toronto, Ontario. 

John Bauscher, Freeport, Illinois. 

A M Bowman, Salem, Virginia. 

G Strange, Betzer, Michigan. 

E A Haslett, Atchison, Kansas. 

GAMES — INDIAN — ASEEL. 

H P Clarke, Indianapolis, Indiana. 

C H Sharp & Co., Lockport, New York. 

GAMES — INDIAN — CORNISH. 

C D Smith, Fort Plain, New York. 

Mrs Bettie Bates, Hale, Missouri. 

Mrs Anna Pollard, Washington, Iowa. 

S A Forquer, Hillsdale, Michigan. 

J G Bickwell, 314 Vermont street, Buffalo, New York. 

GAMES — INDIAN — WHITE. 

A W Cone, Painesville, Ohio. 

C H Sharp & Co., Lockport, New York. 

Abbot Bros., Thuxton, Hingham, Norfolk, England. 

Robert L. Shanks, Greenwich, New York. 

GAMES — MALAY'S — BLACK BREASTED RED. 

L Rottman, Benton, Ohio. 

GAMES — MALAY — WHITE. 

Carpenter & Andrews, Box t>51, Adams, Massachusetts. 
Abbot Bros.. Thuxton, Hingham, Norfolk, England. 

GAMES — MUFF. 

John Dame, Box 163, Wheaton, Illinois. 
Larkin W Farrar, Buckfield, Maine. 

GAMES — PIT. 

Robert A. Colt, Manager, Pittsfield, Massachusetts. 

M O'Brien, Sherburne, New York. 

C Trushel, New Castle, Pennsylvania. 

E D Castleton, Washington C H, Ohio. 

R C Sikes, Andrew Chapel, Tennessee. 

GAMES —RED PYLE. 

A F Peirce, Winchester, New Hampshire. 
W Barber & Company, Toronto, Ontario. 
Geo. N Thomas, Trenton, New Jersey. 

GAMES — SUMATRAS— BLACK. 

Chas. FReed, Winchester, New Hampshire. 
John and P F Spahr, Carlisle, Pennsylvania. 
C C Shoemaker, Freeport, Illinois. 
Chas. Gammerdinger, Columbus, Ohio. 

GAMES— SUMATRAS - MOTTLED. 

W A Barhite, West Salamanca, New York. 



6 LLOYD S MODERN POULTRY BOOK. 

GAMES — WHITE. 

John J Hall, Clyde, Ohio. 

HAMBURGS— BLACK. 
H S Frederick, Lititz, Pennsylvania. 
Kent & Bennett, Auburn, New York. 
A G Brown, Watford, Ontario. 
J R Brabazon, Delavan, Wisconsin. 

HAMBURGS— GOLDEN PENCILED. 

F A Stuart, Marshall, Michigan. 
F H Dolbear, Bowens Corners, New York. 
B A Ferris & Company, Auburn, New York. 
Richard Oke, London, Ontario. 

HAMBURGS— GOLDEN SPANGLED. 

Julius Frank, 836 Bowery, Akron, Ohio. 
Noble, Mick & Company, Ionia, Michig-an. 
Kansteiner Brothers, St. Charles, Missouri. 
Alexander Brown, Allandale, Ontario. 

HAMBURGS — SILVER PENCILED. 

Arthur L Gardner, Vermillion, New York. 
J H Boomer, Atkinson, Illinois. 
A Bogue, London, Ontario. 

HAMBURGS— SILVER SPANGLED. 

Nelson S Haskell, Auburn, New York. 

C L Clark, Ashton, Illinois. 

Mrs P L Reitz, Pansy, Jefferson County, Pennsylvania 

Max A Christopher, Warrensburg, Missouri. 

C D Smith & Sons, St. Charles, Minnesota. 

J M Greyerbiehl, Guelph, Ontario. 

HAMBURGS— WHITE. 

J B Foster, Allegiieny, Pennsylvania. 
A W Hillis, Davenport, New York. 
Julius Frank, 837 Bowery, Akron, Ohio. 

HOUDANS. 

G. A. HOBART, Chittenango, Madison County, N. Y. 96 
point eoek at head of pen. Eggs, $1.00. 

E J Mason, Gloversville, New York. 
C Stockwell, London, Ontario. 
Geo Hobart, Chittenango, New York. 
J W Miller Co., Freeport, Illnois. 
Yorgey & Rich, Horicon, Wisconsin. 
S B Mills, Ames, Iowa. 

JAVAS— BLACK. 

C Hammerschmidt, South Buffalo, New York 
L W Van Winkle, Camden, New York. 
J D Robertson, Box 164, Guelph, Ontario. 
Frank Doty, Middletown, Ohio. 

JAVAS — MOTTLED. 

Jos D Hollinger. Mastersonville, Pennsylvania. 
J R Brabazon, Delavan, Wisconsin. 



BKEEDERS OF POULTRY. 7 

JAVAS— WHITE. 

F R Terwilliger, Elmira, New York. 
N S Perkins, Fairport, New York. 
Herbert Hodgson, Albion, Illinois. 
A L Smith, Princeton, Indiana. 

JERSEY BLUE. 

John Bauscher, Jr., Freeport, Illinois. 

LA FLECHE. 

Richard Oke, London, Ontario. 

Wm Smith, Fairfield Plains, Ontario. 

LANGSHANS — BLACK . 

H P Nestler, King, Indiana. 

Dr F M Robinson, Box 10, Pawling, New York. 

Frank Marley, Fremont, Washington. 

H G Keesling, San Jose, California. 

C J Eisele. Guelph, Ontario. 

C M Powers, Kent, Ohio. 

C C Harper. Mt Carmel. Illinois. 

Henry Mansfield. Rockland, Massachusetts. 

Gray & Son, Nashville, Tennessee. 

LANGSHANS— BLUE. 

Col Jos. Leffel, Springfield, Ohio. 

LANGSHANS —MOTTLED . 

H G Keesling, San Jose, California. 

LANGSHANS— WHITE . 
M A Skinner, Gerfeva, Illinois. 
HS Keesling, San Jose, California. 
M F Delano, Falmouth, Massachusetts. 
Paul S Millspaugh, Ithaca, New York. 
E McCormick, Newmarket, Ontario. 
Mrs M A Smith, Gilman, Iowa. 

LEGHORNS— BLACK. 

H L Bean, Spencer, Massachusetts. 
Elmer E Homan. Yaphank, Long Island, New York. 
Oak Lawn Poultry Farm, Ypslianti, Michigan. 
R E Hacger, Algonquin, Illinois. 
E D Frick, Colorado Springs, Colorado. 
Wm. Patterson. Box 852, North Coaticook, Quebec. 
LEGHORNS— BLUE. 

Col. J Leffel, Springfield, Ohio. 

LEGHORNS— BROWN. 

EUGENE KEITH, Nelson, N. Y., Single Comb Brown Leg- 
horns and White Plymouth Rooks. 

J H Kaufman, Gardner, Illinois. 

Requa Bros., Highland, Mills, New York. 

W H McCartney, Bethany, Ontario. 

M W Warren & Company. Lancaster, Pennsylvania. 

Frank Marley. Fremont, Washington. 

J A Bailey, Fourteenth and Stout streets, Denver, Colorado. 

W Boatright, Matvein, Arkansas. 



8 LLOYD'S MODERN POULTKY BOOK. 

A E Warner, Lincoln, Virginia. 
H L Manners, Sycamore, Illinois. 

LEGHORNS— BUFF. 

JOHN BAUSCHER, Jr., Freeport, III., Buff Leghorn and 
twenty-eight other leading Varieties; send two 
stamps for catalogue. 

L P Harris, 315 West Thirty-second street, Lincoln, Nebraska. 

J M McNeil, Springfield, Ohio. 

Geo. W Randolph, Box 725, Palmyra, New York. 

Mrs M J Cohes, Sigourney, Iowa. 

Aug. D Arnold, Dillsburg, York County, Pennsylvania. 

C Houghtaling, Sharon Valley, Connecticut. 

R Taylor, 1174 St. Denis street, Montreal, Quebec. 

Mrs Lester Kay, Burley Manor, Ringwood, England. 

LEGHORNS — DOMINIQUE. 

Geo. Bennett, Binghamton, New York. 
F R Terwilliger, Elmira, New York. 
F A Stuart, Marshall, Michigan 

LEGHORNS— DUCKWING. 

E Westcott, South Framingham, Massachusetts. 

LEGHORNS— WHITE. 

E H Hunt, De Kalb, Illinois. 

Will C House, Fort Plain, New York. 

L C Bryce, Petaluma, California. 

F C Cole, Athens, Pennsylvania. 

D C Trew, Lindsay, Ontario. 

Harris Brothers, Elmira, New York. 

J J Fleck, Tiffin, Ohio. 

Glass Brothers, Houston, Texas. 

MINORCAS — BLACK. 

Merwin A Bartlett, Canton, Ohio. 
F E Becker, Vine Valley, New York. 
Geo. H Northup, Raceville. New York. 
M S Kellogg, Hamilton, Missouri. 
A D Tollefson, Sioux City, Iowa. 
Geo. G Mc Cormick, London, Ontario. 

MINORCAS— WHITE. 

T F Edwards, Osceola, Tioga County, Pennsylvania. 
Chas W Jerome, Box 102, Fabius, New York. 
Thomas A Duff, 267 Landsdowne avenue, Toronto, Canada. 
T B Knight, Fox Lake, Wisconsin. 

PHOENIX— LONG-TAILED. 

C S Jackson, International Bridge, Canada. 
E H Weiss, Akron, Ohio. 

PLYMOUTH ROCKS— BARRED— PEA-COMBED. 

J H Blake, Canajoharie. New York. 

F H Davey, Minisink, New York. 

John Bley", Vail, Iowa. 

Geo R Simmons, Box 620, Salida, Colorado. 



BREEDERS OF POULTRY. 
PLYMOUTH ROCKS— BARRED— SINGLE-COMBED. 

A. W. BRAYTON, Mt. Morris, III, 

J Bennett, 189 Bathurst street, Toronto, Ontario., 

J A Willis, Auburn, New York. 

Pure-Bred Poultry Company, Mount Morris, Illinois. 

Geo P Moore, St Johnsbury, Vermont. 

J S Manning 1 , Columbus, Wisconsin. 

H A Kuhns, Atlanta, Georgia. 

E Lee, Marshalltown, Iowa. 

H S Arnold, Lanark, Illinois. 

John McDermott, Cramer, Illinois. 

PLYMOUTH ROCKS — BUFF. 

J C Hilke, Box 774, Canajoharie, New York. 

S C Woolverton, Clyde, Ohio. 

J D Wilson, Worcester, New York. 

PLYMOUTH ROCRs— WHITE. 

E S Lamberson, Frankfort, New York. 

F P Sogers, West Chester, Pennsvlvania. 

W H Wight. Hudson, New York. " • 

F Rettig, DeKalb, Illinois. 

W S Grigsby, Lena, Illinois. 

John Olson, Meckling, Clay County, South Dakota. 

L G Pequegnat, New Hamburg, Ontario. 

POLISH— BEARDED GOLDEN. 

Gulliford & Son, Akron, Ohio. 
John M Parker, Independence, Iowa- 
John & P F Spahr, Carlisle, Pennsylvania. 

POLISH — BEARDED SILVER. 

H W Heath, Piermont, New Hampshire. 
J R Brabazon, Delavan, Wisconsin. 

POLISH — BEARDED WHITE. 

D J Pearce, Hamilton, Ontario. 

John and P F Spahr, Carlisle, Pennsylvania. 

POLISH— BUFF-LACED . 

Gulliford & Son, Akron, Ohio. 

C S Jackson, International Bridge, Canada, 

POLISH— GOLDEN. 

M M Mo wry, Leicester, Massachusetts. 
O'Brien & Colwell, Paris Station, Ontario. 
Albion Poultry Yards, Albion, Illinois. 
Tom Pierce, Liberty, Union County, Indiana. 

POLISH— SILVER. 

M M Mowry. Leicester, Massachusetts. 

Chas McClave, New London. Ohio. 

W R Knight, Box 144, Bowmanville, Ontario. 

POLISH— SILVER CRESTED. 

W H Lewis, P. O. Box 191, Huntington, New York. 

POLISH — WHITE. 

W H Lewis, P. O. Bo:: 191, Huntington. New York. 



10 LLOYD'S MODERN POULTRY BOOK. 

A W Hillis, Davenport, New York. 

POLISH— WHITE-CRESTED BLACK. 

John F Tallinger, Rochester, New York. 

Chas R Carlyle, 52 Connecticut avenue, New London, Connecticut. 

A F Herbert, Ionia, Michigan. 

Jas Elliott, Bement, Illinois. 

W O Bo wen, National City, San Diego County, California. 

O'Brien & Colwell, Paris Station, Ontario. 

REDCAPS. 

Phil Williams, Taunton, Massachusetts. 
J D Studley, Gowanda, New York. 
F A Brown, Port Hope. Ontario. 
Howard Miller, Cedarville, New York. 
H Baxter, Webster City, Iowa. 
A B Pomeroy, Kalamazoo, Michigan. 
C C Shoemaker, Freeport, Illinois. 

RUMPLESS. 

C E Rockenstyre, Albany, New York. 

SHEPtWOODS. 

L B Drake, Sheldrake, New York. 

W Atlee Burpee, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. 

L C Hoss, Kokomo, Indiana. 

SICILIANS. 

O D Reese, Old Zionsville, Pennsylvania. 

SILKIES. 

C S Jackson, International Bridge, Ontario. 
C E Rockenstyre, Albany, New York. 

SPANISH— WHITE-FACED BLACK. 

C H Sheres, Clarksburg, Ontario. 

E R Gregory. Edmeston, New York. 

M F Lyke, New Baltimore Station, Greene County, New York. 

Thos M Skincer, Denver, Colorado. 

Mrs B G Mackey, Clarksville, Missouri. 

John Bennett, Sunman, Ripley County. Indiana. 

SULTANS. 

Richard Oke, London, Ontario. 

WHITE WONDER. 

H W Heath. Piermont, New Hampshire. 
Henry O Thomason, Storm Lake, Iowa. 
F E McMennamy, Henry, Illinois. 

WYANDOTTES - BLACK . 

Willow Farm Poultry Yards. West Troy, New York. 
J W McNeil, Springfield, Ohio. 
Standard Poultry Club, Albion, Illinois. 
F W Clemans, Jr., Mechanicsburg, Ohio. 

WYANDOTTES— BUFF. 

V S Mattison, South Shaftsburg, Vermont. 
E B Thompson. Amenia, New York. 
E O Therin. Vail. Iowa, 



BREEDERS OF POULTRY. 11 

WYANDOTTES — GOLDEN . 

G W Felton, Barre, Massachusetts. 

Jos McKeen, Omro, Wisconsin. 

H D Mason & Sons, P. O. Box 75, Fabius, New York, 

F W Eby, Shannon, Illinois. 

Gray Brothers, Sweetland, Iowa. 

T H* Scott, St. Thomas, Ontario. 

WYANDOTTES — SILVER. 

W N Bartram, Akron, New York. 

M B Hague, Inglewood, Ontario. 

Edwin M Wilson, Babylon, New York. 

B E Sogers, Lake Bluff, Illinois. 

E S Johnson, Ash Creek, Minnesota. 

J K Brabazon, Delavan, Wisconsin. 

C EFickes, South Sioux Falls, South Dakota. 

WYANDOTTES — WHITE . 

Knapp Bros, Box 503, Fabius, New York. 

John Eklund & Co., Busti, New York. 

T M Campbell, Darlington, Indiana. 

Selbig, Horning & Co., Lena, Illinois. 

Aftondale Poultry Farm, 685 East Fourth St.. St. Paul, Minnesota. 

Wm Langdon, Port Hope, Ontario. 

BREEDERS OF TURKEYS. 

BLACK. 

E H Cook, Union, McHenry County, Illinois. 
J R Brabazon, Delavan, Wisconsin. 

BRONZE. 
Mrs J C Plumb, Milton, Wisconsin. 
C D Smith, Fort Plain, New York. 

Mrs Jas R Gooding, Frankton, Madison County, Indiana. 
J N Brown, Winamac, Indiana. 
Jas B Dorr, Little Falls, New York. 
F M Munger, De Kalb, Illinois. 
P Pirie, Banner, Ontario. 

NARRAGANSETT. 

D C Hoff, Jr., Centerville, New York. 
C C Paine, South Randolph, Vermont. 
J R Brabazon, Delavan, Wisconsin. 

SLATE. 

Chas McCleve. New London, Ohio. 
S E Wurst, Elyria, Ohio. 

WHITE. 

J H Thompson, Jr., Lanesboro, Minnesota. 

J G Ridpey. Rainsboro, Ohio. 

E S Appelget, Lock Box 35, Hightstown, New Jei'sey. 

Geo W Emerick, Sumner, Illinois. 

Mrs Jno Searles, Jr., Hackleman, Indiana. 

WHITE MAMMOTH. 

W Atlee Burpee & Co, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. 



12 LLOYD'S MODERN POULTRY BOOK. 



WILD. 
W K Laughlin, Ft. Dodge, Iowa. (Birds only). 
H A Overton, Knoxville, Iowa. 

Valley View Poultry Farm, Belleville, Pennsylvania. 
Rhode Island Experiment Station, King-ston, Rhode Island, 

BREEDERS OF DUCKS. 

AYLESBURY. 

J F Hiller, Hartwick Seminary, New York. 
G R Baxter, Hillsdale, Michig-an. 
Chas R McClave, New London, Ohio, 
Enoch Parr, Harristown, Indiana. 

BLACK EAST INDIAN. 

Chas McClave, New London, Ohio. 

CALL — GRAY. 

F J Marshall, Middletown, Ohio. 
S E Wurst, Elyria, Ohio. 

CALL— WHITE 

A W Hillis, Davenport, New York. 
Chas. McClave, New London, Ohio. 

CAYUGA. 

Wm. P Leggett, Salt Point, New York. 
W A Fowler, Vernon, Illinois. 
S D Mandeville, Sidney, Illinois. 
W Shallenberger, Pleasantville, Ohio. 

CRESTED WHITE. 
Rucker Bros., Literberry, Illinois. 
J R Brabazon, Delavan, Wisconsin, 

PEKIN. 

Jas Rankin, South Easton, Massachusetts. 
J R Roy,Coaticook, Quebec. 
W A Graham, Smyrna, New York. 
J W Bowlus, Williamsport, Indiana. 
Mrs May Taylor. Hale, Carroll County, Missouri. 
C H Newman, Lisbon, Illinois. 
Frank Marley, Fremont, Washington. 

ROUEN. 

John Bocker, Seneca Falls, New York. 

Chas Hopper, Ashley, Ohio. 

J C Bogardus, Jr., Knox, New York. 

Jas H McKee, Norwich, Ontario. 

John Winter, Box 307. Mendota, Illinois. 

B H Westlake, Sycamore, Illinois. 

MUSCOVY— COLORED, 

I X L Poultry Farm, Petersham, Massachusetts. 
J R Brabazon, Delavan, Wisconsin. 

MUSCOVY — WHITE. 

W Shallenberg-er. Pleasantville, Ohio. 



BREEDERS OF POULTRY. 13 

F H Dolbear, Bowens Corners, New York. 
J R Brabazon, Delavan, Wisconsin. 

BREEDERS OF GEESE. 

CANADA. 

Theo. L Morgan, St. Paul, Minnesota. 
Chas. McClave, New London, Ohio. 
Wm. Smith, Fairfield Plains, Ontario. 

CHINESE — BROWN. 

John B Bain, New Concord, Ohio. 
J R Brabazon. Delavan, Wisconsin. 
J H Houser, Camboo, Ontario. 
W A Shafor, Oneonta, New York. 

CHINESE — WHITE. 

J R Brabazon, Delavan, Wisconsin. 

Bush Brothers, Selden, Ohio. 

A Thompson, Allan's Corners, Ontario. 

EMBDEN. 

Chas. McClave, New London, Ohio. 

Earl G Roberts, Fort Atkinson, Wisconsin. 

Ira Gregory, Fifer, Illinois. 

TOULOUSE. 

W N Bartram, Akron, New York. 
C F Michael, Fremont, Ohio. 
C C Shoemaker, Freeport, Illinois. 
M A Brown, Delavan. Wisconsin. 
Wm Hanly, Knoxville. Tennessee. 

WILD. 

D P McCracken, Paxton, Illinois. 

T L Morgan, 533 Wabasha street, St Paul, Minnesota. 

MISCELLANEOUS. 

GUINEAS. 

Theo Searles, Box 303, Port Chester, New York. 
A W Hillis, Davenport, New York. 
A G West, Fayette ville, Wisconsin. 
Mrs S E Thomas, Columbus City, Iowa. 

GUINEAS — WHITE . 

Fred S McGillis, Brighton, Ontario. 

Mrs Mary Nix, Hamburg, Iowa. 

W N Bope, Van Wert, Ohio. 

D A Mount, Manager, Prince's Bay, New York. 

PEA FOWLS. 

A W Hillis, Davenport, New York. 
J F Barbee, Millersburg, Kentucky. 
J M Powers, Henry, Illinois, 
L R Freeman, Charlotte, Michigan. 

PHEASANTS. 

Dr Edward More. Albany, New York. 
Dr J S Niven, London, Ontario. 



14 LLOYD'S MODERN POULTRY BOOK. 



DEALERS IN POULTRY SUPPLIES. 

BANDS. 

C H Latham, Box 145, Lancaster, Massachusetts. 
J G Bickwell, 314 Vermont street, Buffalo, New York. 
Morgan Bates, 113 Adams street, Chicago. 
R G Davis, Providence, Rhode Island. 

BONE MEAL. 

Fitch Fertilizer Works, Bay City, Michigan. 
York Chemical Works, York, Pennsylvania. 
J H Devins, Utica, New York. 

BONE MILLS AND GREEN BONE CUTTERS. 

Webster & Hannum, Cazenovia, New York. 
F W Mann Company, Milford, Massachusetts. 
Wilson Brothers, Easton, Pennsylvania. 

BROODERS. 

E Barney, Schenectady, New York. 
G W Pressey, Hammonton, New Jersey. 
Chas Dunham, Sycamore, Illinois. 
Jas A Porter, Greenfield, Ohio. 
H A Peterson, Benson, Illinois. 

CAPONIZING TOOLS. 

Geo Pilling & Son, 115 South Eleventh Street, Philadelphia, Penn- 
sylvania. 

Geo Q Dow, North Epping, New Hampshire. 

Wm H Wigmore, 107 South Eighth street, Philadelphia, Pennsyl- 
vania. 

CHICKEN BIT. 

Wm H Wigmore, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. 

CLOVER CUTTER. 

P A Webster, Cazenovia, New York. 
Wilson Brothers, Easton, Pennsylvania. 

COOPS. 

John A Jackson, Winnebago, Illinois. 

G W Costellow, Waterborough, York County, Maine. 

Buckeye Incubator Co., Springfield, Ohio. 

Dean Manufacturing Company, Tonawanda, New York. 

Hale & Jones, Shelbyville, Indiana. 

CUTS. 

Clarence C DePuy, Syracuse, New York. 
Chas. Gammerdinger, Columbus, Ohio. 

DRINKING FOUNTAINS. 
T D Paul, Akron, Ohio. 
Geo. H Stahl, Quincy, Illinois. 

EGG BASKETS . 

Geo T Pitkin, 3438 Rhodes avenue, Chicago, 111.. 
Sprague Commission Co., Chicago, Illinois. 

EGG CASES. 

Maxwell Bros., Chicago, Illinois. 



DEALERS IN POULTRY SUPPLIES. 15 

Disbrow Mfg. Co., Rochester, New York. 

P H Bolten & Co.. 221 South Water street, Chicago. Illinois. 

Elliott Paper Box Co., Boston, Massachusetts. 

EGG RECORD. 

H A Kuhns, Atlanta, Georgia. 

FENCES. 

McMullen Woven Wire Fence Co., 120 N. Market street. Chicago. 

Illinois. 
Page Wire Fence Co., Walkerville, Ontario. 
Eureka Gate Co., Waterloo, Iowa. 
Hulbert Fence & Wire Co., 904 Olive street, St. Louis, Missouri. 

FOODS. 

Smiths & Romaine, 109 Murray street, New York City, New York. 

Bowker Co.. 43 Chatham street, Boston, Massachusetts. 

Geo H Stahl, Quincy, Illinois. 

Chas Gammerdinger, Columbus, Ohio. 

L B Lord, Burlington, Vermont. 

Gordon Food Co., Coatesville, Pennsylvania. 

I S Johnson, Boston, Massachusetts. 

The Peels Food Co., Brattleboro, Vermont. 

GAPES EXTERMINATOR. 

Wm H Wigmore, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. 

GRIT. 

Orrs Mills Poultry Yards, Orrs Mills, New York. 

HEATERS. 

Wood & Paige, 13 Sewall street, Lynn, Massachusetts. 

INCUBATORS. 

Reliable Incubator and Brooder Company, 217 North Third streets 
Quincy, Illinois. 

George H Stahl, Quincy, Illinois. 

A F Williams, Bristol. Connecticut. 

G S Singer, Cardington, Ohio. 

Jas Rankin, South Easton, Massachusetts. 

Hearson & Company, 447 Grove street, Jersey City, New Jersey. 

Prairie State Incubator Company, Homer City, Pennsylvania.* 

J L Campbell, West Elizabeth, Pennsylvania. 

Pineland Incubator and Brooder Company, Jamesburg, New Jer- 
sey. 

Geo Ertel & Company Quincy, Illinois. 

Buckeye Incubator Company, Springfield, Ohio. 

Famous Manufacturing Company, Chicago, Illinois. 

H M Sheer & Brother, Quincy, Illinois. 

Wood & Paige, 13 Sewall street, Lynn, Massachusetts. 

Gerred Incubator Company, 90 De Grassi street, Toronto. 

Von Culin Incubator Company, Delaware City, Delaware. 

Geo W Murphy & Company, Quincy, Illinois. 

Petaluma Incubator Company, Petaluma, California. 

H W.Axford, Cottage Grove avenue and Forty-Fifth street, Chicago. 

KILLING KNIFE. 

Geo P Pilling & Sons, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. 
Wm H Wigmore, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. 



16 Lloyd's modern pout-try book. 

LAMPS. 

L E Oakes, Blooming-ton, Indiana. 

MARKERS. 

Geo P Pilling- & Son, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. 

MEDICINE. 

Clark Medicine Co., Stewartsville, Missouri. 

E Fougera & Co., 30 N William street, New York. 

Francis A Mortimer, Pottsville, Pennsylvania. 

E L Lake. Canton. Ohio. 

Geo F Lynn, Youngstown, Ohio. 

Jas H Cayford, Box 1168. Montreal, Quebec. 

T F Eackham, Spratt's goods, East Orange, New Jersey. 

W Merrill, East Moriches, Long Island, New York. 

Geo W Murphy & Co., Quincy, Illinois. 

Mrs W S Eeece, Island Station, Colorado. 

Boericke & Tafel, 1011 Arch street, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. 

I S Johnson & Co., 22 Custom-house St., Boston, Massachusetts. 

NESTS. 

The Gilbert & Bennett Manufacturing Company, 148 Lake street, 
Chicago, Illinois. 

oyster shells. 
C A Bartlett, Worcester, Massachusetts. 

POWDER DUSTER. 

Mrs M A Hawley, Dixon, Illinois. 

ROOFING. 

F W Bird & Son, East Walpole, Massachusetts. 

Canton Steel Eoofing Company, Canton, Ohio. 

Indiana Paint and Eoofing Company, 42 West Broad way, New York. 

A F Swan, 38 Dey street, New York City. 

ROUP SYRINGE. 

Wm. H Wigmore, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. 

STAMPING OUTFIT. 

A S Fox, Eoom 1310, Ashland Block, Chicago. 

WHITEWASHER. 

F Schwarz, Fairfield, Connecticut. 

WIRE NETTING. 

Eichard H Youfig, Westborough, Massachusetts. 

Peter Durzee & Co, 215 Greenwich street, New York City. 

The Gilbert & Bennet Mfg. Co, 148 Lake street, Chicago, Illinois. 

COMMISSION FIRMS. 

Summers. Morrison & Co, 174 South Water street. Chicago, Illinois. 

Durand Commission Co, 192 South Water street, Chicago, Illinois. 

Hill & Truax, 309 South Front street, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. 

Knapp & VanNostrand, 208 to 216 Washington street, New York. 

Wm F Brooks & Company, 40 Clinton street, Boston, Massachu- 
setts. 

Schafer Brothers, 22 Central Market. Minneapolis, Minnesota. 

Missouri Poultry and Game Company, 806 North Fourth street, 
St. Louis, Missouri. 



POULTRY BOOKS. 17 

POULTRY BOOKS. 

Howard & Wilson Publishing- Company, Chicago. Illinois, 
will send any of the books named below, postpaid, at the 
prices given: 

Lloyd's Modern Poultry Book describes the different breeds of 
poultry, tells about raising poultry on the farm and in incu- 
bators. Tells about broilers and capons. Describes the diseases 
of poultry and gives remedies. Gives a list of breeders of poul- 
try who have birds and eggs for sale. Gives plans and direc- 
tions for building poultry houses. In fact.it contains more infor- 
mation than can be obtained in many books costing many times 
what is asked for it. By W B Lloyd, Agricultural Editor Farm, 
Field and Fireside. Published by Howard & Wilson Publishing 
Co., Chicago; 300 pages. Cloth bound, $1. Paper cover,fifty cents. 
With Farm, Field and Fireside one year, SI. 10. 

All About Broilers and Market Poultry Generally. Bv M K 
Boyer. Published by C C DePuy, Syracuse. New York. The 
author has had many years' experience in the business, and 
lives in Hammonton, New Jersey, the great broiler town of 
America. Price twenty-five cents. 

American Poultry Annual. Price twenty cents. H A Kuhns, 
Atlanta, Georgia. 

The American Standard of Perfection, as revised by the Amer- 
ican Poultry Association, giving a complete description of all the 
recognized varieties of fowls. Price $1.00. 

An Egg Farm. By H H Stoddard. Price Miy cents. Orange 
Judd Company, New Yoi'k City. 

Barred and White Plymouth Rocks: Their history, characteris- 
tics and standard points; how to mate and rear them for exhibi- 
tion and commercial purposes ; with a chapter on their diseases 
and treatment. By Joseph Wallace. Price fifty cents. Ferris 
Publishing Company, Albany, New York. 

Blaine's Handy Manual of Useful Information. By Prof. Wm 
H Blaine, Ferris Publishing Company, Albany. New York. 

The Business Hen. By H W Collirrgwood. Price, cloth, seventy- 
five cents. Paper, fortv cents. Rural Publishing Company, New 
York City. 

Capons and Caponizing. Price, paper, twenty-five cencs. Cloth, 
fiftv cents. Geo. Q Dow, North Epping, New Hampshire. John 
B Alden, New York City. 

The Chick. By Miss H M W T illiams. Price, ten cents. Ham- 
monton, New Jersey. 

Duck Culture. By James Rankin. South Easton, Massachusetts. 
the most successful man in the country in commercial duck 
culture. The result of his many years' experience told in his 
inimitable manner. Price, fifty cents. 

Five Hundred Questions and Answers. By J Wallace Darrow. 
Price, twentv-five cents. The Fanciei's' Review. Chatham, New 
York. 

How to Rid Buildings and Farms of Rats. By Pickett. Price, 
twenty cents. Rural Publishing Company, New York City. 

The Incubator and its Uses. By James Rankin. Price, twenty- 
five cents. Ferris Publishing Company, Albany, New York. 



IS LLOYD'S MODERN POULTRY BOOK. 

Incubators. By L. O. Fults, Jeffersonville, Ohio. Price twenty- 
five cents. 

The Indian Game. By H. S. Babcock. Price twenty-five cents. 
Providence, Rhode Island. 

Low Cost Poultry House, By J Wallace Darrow. Price twenty- 
five cents. The Fanciers Review. Chatham, New York. 

Management of Young- Chicks by P H Jacobs, Price twenty-five 
cents. Poultry Keeper Co., Parkesburg, Pennsylvania. 

128-Page Poultry Book. Price twelve cents. Clarence De Puy, 
Syracuse, New York. 

Philosophy of Judging-. A new book by Messrs. I K Felch and 
H S Babcock, and illustrated by Mr. J Henry Lee. Explains 
in language all can undei'stand, the p' ^nciples upon which the 
scoring of fowls is founded. Price $1. Ferris Pub. Co., Albany. 
New York. 

Pigeon Queries. By J Wallace Darrow. The Fanciers' Review, 
Chatham. New York. Price twenty-five cents. 

Poultry, by G A McFetridge, Oak Park Stock Farm, Hammon- 
ton, New Jersej^. Price fifty cents. 

Poultry Culture: How to raise, Manage, Mate and Judge 
Thoroughbred Fowls, by I K Felch. 438 pages. Illustrated. Price, 
postpaid, $1.50. Donohue, Henneberry & Co., Chicago, Illinois. 

The Poultry Doctor. Price fifty cents. Boericke & Tafel, 1011 
Arch street, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. 

Poultry for Profit, by P H Jacobs. Price twenty-five cents. 
Poultry Keeper Co., Parkesburg, Pennsylvania. 

Poultry Raising and Artificial Incubation. By J M Stahl & E 
W Wickey, Champion Manufacturing Co., Quincy, Illinois. 
Price fifteen cents. 

The Practical Poultry Keeper. A complete and standard guide 
to the management of poultry, whether for domestic use, the 
markets or exhibition; 252 pages. Price $2. By L Wright, 
England. Orange Judd Co., New York City. 

Practical Turkey Raising. By Fanny Field. Price twenty- 
five cents. R B Mitchell, Chicago. 

Profitable Poultry Farming. By Michael K Boyer. Price 
twenty-five cents. Oak Park Stock Farm, Hammonton, New 
Jersey. 

Profits in Poultry. Useful and ornamental breeds and their 
profitable management. Profusely illustrated ; 256 pages. Price 
|1. Published by Orange Judd Co., New York. 

Some oi Lee's Ideas. By J Henry Lee. Price fifty cents. Oak 
Park Stock Farm, Hammonton, New Jersey. 

Sloddard : s Books. Price, twenty-five cents each . H H Stoddard, 
author and publisher, Hartford, Connecticut. Brown Leghorns. 
Domestic Water Fowl. How to Feed Fowls. How to Preserve 
Eggs. How to Raise Poultry on a Large Scale. How to Win 
Poultry Prizes. Incubation, Natural and Artificial. Light 
Brahmas. Plymouth Rocks. Poultry Architecture. Poultry 
Compendium. Poultry Diseases. White Leghorns. Wyandottes. 

Treatise on the Game Cock. By F W McDougall, Indianapolis, 
Indiana. 

Wyandottes — Silver, Golden White and Black: Their origin, 
history, characteristics and standard points; how to mate, judge 
and rear them for exhibition and commercial purposes; with a 
chapter on their diseases and treatment. By Joseph Wallace, 



POULTRY PERIODICALS. 19 



Price, fifty cents. Ferris Publishing Company, Albany, New 
York. 

POULTRY PERIODICALS. 
The Howard & Wilson Publishing Company, Chicago, Illi- 
nois, will send any of the papers and magazines named 
below, postpaid; at the prices given. 

Western Poultry Journal (monthly). Price fifty cents. Cedar 
Rapids, Iowa. 

Poultry Topics (monthly). Price twenty-five cents. Warsaw, 
Missouri. 

Poultry Monthly. Price $1.25. Ferris Publishing Company, Al- 
bany, New York. 

Southern Fancier. Price fifty cents. G M Dowries, Manager. Box 
402, Atlanta, Georgia. 

Puget Sound Poultry Keeper (monthly). Seattle, Washington. 

American Fancier (weekly). Price, $1.50. Blunck & Drivenstedt y 
Johnstown, New York. 

Poultry World. Price, $1.00. H H Stoddard, Hartford, Con- 
necticut. 

American Poultry Journal (monthly). Price, $1.00. Morgan 
Bates, Chicago. 

Farm Poultry. Price fifty cents. IS Johnson & Co., Boston, 
Massachusetts. 

Practical Poultryman . Price fifty cents. Bran day & Son, Whit- 
ney Point, New York. 

Western Garden and Poultry Journal. Price fifty cents. Chas N 
Page, Des Moines, Iowa. 

Poultry Herald. Price fifty cents. E A Webb, St Paul, Minne- 
sota. 

Fanciers' Review. Price thirty-five cents . J W Darrow, Chatham,. 
New York. 

Western Breeder. Price twenty-five cents. Owen & Co, Topeka, 
Kansas. 

Poultry News. Price twenty-five cents. E P Cloud, Kennet 
Square, Pennsylvania. 

Midland Poultry Journal. Price fifty cents. C B Harrington & 
Co., Kansas City, Missouri. 

American Poultry Advocate. Price twenty-five cents (monthly). 
Clai'ence C DePuy, Syracuse, New York. 

Canadian Poult^ Review. Price $1 (monthly) . H B Donovan v 
Toronto, Ontario. 

Poultry Chum. Price twenty-five cents. DeKalb, Illinois. 

Consolidated Fanciers' Journal. Price, $1. Nashville, Tennessee. 

Ohio Poultry Herald. Price, twenty-five cents. Tiffin, Ohio. 

Poultry Guide and Friend. Price, twenty-five cents. M K Boyer v 
Hammonton, New Jersey. 

Farm and Fowl. Price, fiftv cents. L O Fults, Jeffersonville. 
Ohio. 

Fanciers' Gazette. Price $1. B N Pierce, Indianapolis, Ind- 
iana. 

Ohio Poultry- Journal. Price $lt Robert A Braden, Davton>, 
Ohio. 



20 LLOYD'S MODERN POULTRY BOOK. 



Fanciers' Monthly. Price $1. Chas R Harker, San Jose, Cali- 
fornia. 

Poultry and Pets. Price $1. G Rogers, Fort Wayne, Indiana. 

Game Fowl Monthly. Price $1. C L Francisco, Sayre, Pennsyl- 
vania. 

Pig-eon Fancier. Price $1. J D Able & Co., Baltimore. Mary- 
land. 

Poultry Bulletin. Price $1. Jas E Warner, New York City. 

Poultry Keeper. Price fifty cents. Poultry Keeper Co., Parkes- 
burg\ Pennsylvania. 

Michigan Poultry Breeder. Price fifty cents. Geo S Barnes, 
Battle Creek, Michigan. 

Game Fanciers' Journal. Price fifty cents. Geo S Barnes, 
Battle Creek, Michigan. 

New England Fancier. Price fifty cents. A H Hamilton, 
Danielsonville, Connecticut. 



N 283 84 < 



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